As you know, Proposition 64 passed on November 8, 2016, that allowed the recreational use of marijuana.
However, from what I understand, Lake Forest did NOT allow this marijuana use previously. Therefore, the City Council recently approved changes to the existing restrictions on marijuana cultivation in Lake Forest to conform with Proposition 64.
However, the vote was a 3-2 vote with Councilman James Gardner saying that the loosened restrictions were draconian, meaning that the new Lake Forest law is "rigorous; unusually severe or cruel" (definition at http://www.dictionary.com/brow...).
Lake Forest Marijuana History
Lake Forest has been very aggressive to limit marijuana dispensaries in town - http://www.ocregister.com/arti... is summarized below:
" Lake Forest banned all marijuana-related business – including dispensaries and deliveries – in 2013, after the Supreme Court ruled cities had the right to do so."
"The city . . . [got] rid of nearly 40 dispensaries, with the last one known at the time shuttered in November 2011 following multiple raids by law enforcement."
He goes on and says "The City Council just passed a draconian law that not merely seeks to regulate marijuana use, but to restrict it as much as legally possible. This new ordinance comes as a knee-jerk reaction to the passage of Prop 64 which loosened the laws governing marijuana use in the State."
Based on the city council video, many other cities passed more strict laws, some even requiring a conditional use permit.
He says "The reason given by staff, and adopted by Council members Hamilton, Voigts, and Robinson, is the danger to children from consuming marijuana." Actually, I couldn't find it in the video anywhere where staff or ANY of his colleagues say the primary concern is children consuming marijuana (maybe Gardner is having another of his infamous "Senior Moments" by forgetting the true facts).
However, Gardner WAS THE ONE who said something about if we are doing this for the children, than the city should require alcohol be locked up. Wow - this shows me he really is NOT understanding the true issues with marijuana.
Marijuana Manufacturing Process
Gardner never mentions the real issue with marijuana. And no, it is not the growing of marijuana - rather, bad things usually happen with home marijuana "cultivation" because people don't usually just grow marijuana. After growing it, they then MANUFACTURE marijuana byproducts using dangerous chemicals that frequently damage neighborhoods.
Exploding Homes
Just read what reputable newpapers and websites say about the dangers of manufacturing marijuana oil:
" . . . the process [to make a powerful marijuana concentrate from pot leaves and stems] can cause a fireball or flash fire that blows out windows and doors. Authorities say they've seen an uptick in hash oil-related incidents from California to Washington and New Jersey, and say it's in part because people learn the basic technique over the Internet but often lack the sophistication to do it safely.
ATF agents aren't taking a position on marijuana legalization but are asking lawmakers to consider the ramifications of permitting hash oil extraction.
Last year, Colorado had 32 confirmed hash oil extraction explosions and 30 injuries, up from 12 explosions and 18 injuries in 2013, said Kevin Wong, an analyst with the federally funded Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Area task force."
"Some explosions have been deadly, Wong says, and may occur when gas is sparked by something as simple as an electrical current in the home or even static electricity.
Earlier this month, the town of Telluride banned the manufacture of hash oil, citing concerns that operations could explode and harm innocent bystanders. Other local governments may follow suit.
There have been dozens of injuries to people caught in explosions, Wong says.
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A victims’ burned skin is often removed and new grafts are put on their faces, arms and hands, University of Colorado Hospital burn center nurse, Camy Boyle says.
Wong says explosions often involve makeshift labs. Some makers learn from YouTube and receive bad information about making hash oil that’s dangerous and puts them at risk for creating an explosion."
"But as its [butane hash oil (BHO)] popularity grows, so do the number of hash oil enthusiasts eager to attempt their own homebrew BHO, a process that usually involves the highly flammable solvent butane. The result in a number of cases, as the FEMA bulletin notes, has been “fires and explosions [that] have blown out windows, walls, and caused numerous burn injuries.”
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Local media reports often describe hash oil explosions as the result of “cooking hash” or “cooking hash oil,” but that isn’t strictly accurate. There are no Breaking Bad Bunsen burners or chemistry sets involved, and the process of producing hash oil is a relatively simple one, albeit one that ill-informed stoners can still manage to screw up.
As interest grows in both consuming and making hash oil, so too do the number of YouTube tutorials and forum threads that spread misinformation and fail to emphasize proper safety — an explosive combination that suggests we’ll be seeing more attempts at DIY hash oil that end with a very dangerous bang."
"Consumed by using discreet portable hash oil pens or water pipes heated with propane torches, butane hash oil is coveted for its quick and powerful high.
But that high can come with a cost: Butane-fueled blasts have sent 17 people to a Portland burn unit with serious injuries in the past 16 months, including one Northeast Portland man who later died from his injuries.
Growing demand for BHO -- which, according to one marijuana industry survey, accounts for about 17 percent of sales in Oregon medical marijuana dispensaries -- is met by an unregulated and largely underground industry that plays out in garages, basements and kitchens. A spark from something as ordinary as a refrigerator compressor can set off a fiery explosion. "
Summary
As you can see, Gardner tries to equate storing a manufactured product (alcohol) to the marijuana manufacturing process that can cause homes to explode. These are completely different processes and it seems if Gardner were to have his way, homes would start exploding in Lake Forest based on the above documented experience of states where marijuana has been legalized.
Do you think Gardner is supporting less marijuana restrictions because he is a marijuana supporter?
Do you want the dangerous manufacture of Marijuana Oil in the home next to yours?
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?
