Pubdate: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Copyright: 2014 Chico Enterprise-Record Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861 Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Author: Beckee Mathison Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n797/a06.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n771/a06.html TWO LETTER WRITERS IGNORE REALITIES ABOUT POT Addressing two recent letters, it appears Garry Cooper must have smoked a few bowls before looking into his crystal ball in predicting outrageous windfalls Butte County will reap from pot profiteering. What a joke. Growers predicted the same wealth for Colorado and Washington. Are they seeing the wealth in taxes pouring in? No. A large percentage of pot is still being sold on the black market. The only ones making bank are the growers and dealers. Just pick up a local newspaper the past four weeks and read about people from other states/counties coming into California or neighboring counties to grow, only to be smuggled out of state. Where's the money? Certainly not in California's pocket. This is not about massive police/prison union propaganda. This is about the death and destruction of our wildlife and environment that comes from illegal grows. The Board of Supervisors is listening to their constituents, due to the past growing rules not being adhered to. To Robert Galia, who said marijuana never killed anybody: Patrick Sayers of Montana received a 30-year sentence after he loaded up three toddlers in his 1-ton pickup and then partied with a friend, smoking pot as they drove down the highway in 2007. Traveling at 50 mph, he swerved into Michael Mickelson, killing him. There are many cases like this. Locally, I'm sure Kristen Chesterman and Carrie Holiman's family members and friends do not think their deaths are "laughable." Vote yes on Measure A, no on Measure B. - - Beckee Mathison, Chico - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom