Blog: Pot Shops In Del Mar, Solana Beach Threaten Public Safety

By Aaron Byzak, President, North Coastal Prevention Coalition

In November, voters in Del Mar and Solana Beach face initiatives seeking to locate marijuana dispensaries within their city limits, despite such actions being against state and federal law.

Solana Beach Mayor Joe Kellejian publicly opposed the initiative, calling it an effort to jeopardize his citizens' health and safety.

The mayor knows what the North Coastal Prevention Coalition (NCPC) knows - young, otherwise healthy teens use marijuana far more than cigarettes - a trend first uncovered by the California Healthy Kids Survey starting in 1999.

In order to counter this troubling trend, the NCPC works to inform the public about the harmful effects of marijuana and prevent the increases in the access and availability of marijuana.

According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey, marijuana use among teens nationwide rose for the fourth straight year — a sharp contrast to the considerable decline that had occurred in the preceding decade.

Daily marijuana use is now at a 30-year peak level among high school seniors.

Marijuana's active ingredient, known as THC, impairs memory and coordination, stimulates a higher heart rate and reduced blood pressure, as well as anxiety and other negative mental health effects.

Just like smoking cigarettes, marijuana smoking can cause respiratory problems and is listed as a known carcinogen under the California Environmental Protection Agency's Proposition 65. Plus, a recent long-term research study from New Zealand found a significant and permanent drop in IQ between the ages of 13 and 38 for those who used marijuana heavily in their teens.

Yet, only about 23 percent of U.S. high school seniors thought that there was great risk of harm from smoking marijuana occasionally, down from 26.6 percent in 2003. At the same time, we see a concerted effort to normalize its use.

The political and law enforcement tug-of-war dates back to 1996, when California voters approved Proposition 215 to allow those with a recommendation from state-licensed physicians to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use.

Nowhere in the proposition or resulting legislation, nor the Attorney General Guidelines, does it allow for storefronts to sell marijuana. And a 2006 study by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office found that only 2 percent of dispensary patients had a serious illness.

Recently, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy enforced federal law and shut down dispensaries throughout San Diego County.

The U.S. Attorney stood by her July 17 letter to the City of Del Mar, stating that the guidance she provided is consistent with policies of the United States Attorney's Offices and the Department of Justice stating, the “Dispensary and Taxation Initiative requires that a City employee, as a component of his or her job, violate both California and federal laws against distribution of marijuana. The Initiative, thus, has an illegal and improper purpose.”

The directives leave little doubt that any dispensary would be subject to Federal interdiction. The moral of the story: pot shops bring a whole host of problems to a city that allows them.

Cities would likely fare better to stay out of the pot business altogether rather than trying to rectify the problems after the fact.

Or as we like say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Follow NCPC @TriCityNCPC and "Like" us on Facebook. Get involved at www.northcoastalpreventioncoalition.org/get-involved/