Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jun 2016
Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Pueblo Chieftain
Contact:  http://www.chieftain.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613
Author: John Mendez

PROPOSED MARIJUANA BAN MISGUIDED

I have been following Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo for some time now 
and I must say I am very disappointed in the name choice. I would say 
that "citizens against marijuana in Pueblo" would be much more appropriate.

Among marijuana companies, dispensaries open to the public are the 
largest source of tax for a city. Retail marijuana is taxed more 
heavily than anything else in the marijuana industry. Last year, the 
tax collected from marijuana (rivaled) the tax collected from alcohol 
in Colorado.

This statistic alone should show that Pueblo can literally not afford 
to ban such a lucrative industry.

In 1936, "Reefer Madness" came out and took America by storm. It has 
left a negative stigma around marijuana to this day. In 2016, this 
exact same scare tactic is being used in Pueblo.

Pros and cons in an argument show that you have knowledge and 
comparable evidence and can accept that there are benefits from 
something that you don't agree with.

If you only pump out the negatives of marijuana, it shows a lack of 
information and turns your petition from a reasonable request into a 
biased attack.

Not once has this organization ever come out with anything that 
retail marijuana has done to benefit Pueblo.

Also, instead of saying things like, "I wouldn't want my children to 
get a scholarship from marijuana anyway," come up with ideas to 
replenish the funds for the scholarships and taxes lost if this 
petition does happen to pass.

John Mendez

Pueblo
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom