Alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes have one thing in common: They are not going away, ever. They all contain drugs or other mind-altering substances that millions of people will use no matter what society says. Illegal is just an illusion. It does not alter the last sentence.
All three provide a temporary break from pain or anxiety. I have not smoked in 40 years but I still remember the release that cigarette provided. I quit drinking a few years ago but I still remember the joy of a good martini. I never did like marijuana but like the old song says, two out of three ain”t bad.
We all know that making marijuana illegal is not going to work. Making alcohol illegal did not work. Didn”t we learn anything from prohibition? I was watching the 1948 movie “Key Largo” last week.
Edward G. Robinson”s character was frightened by the hurricane hitting the hotel. He made one of his thugs tell a story to ease the tension. The story was a fantasy about the return of prohibition. They would be rich and powerful again. Kings of illegal booze. The repeal of prohibition had ruined them.
Marijuana is the biggest cash crop in California. The wine industry is big. Marijuana is bigger.
For every vineyard there are hundreds of marijuana grows. Each mature plant is worth about $1,000. Multiply this by all the plants in California. It is a number with a lot of zeros.
If this were taxed our schools, emergency services and infrastructure would get vital funds. We could even have good roads in Lake County.
We tax alcohol and cigarettes. What a disaster it would be if we did not have this tax money. Why not legalize and tax marijuana?
The old stereotype of what a marijuana grower looks like is not always true these days. When the economy tanked a few years ago many of our local business owners desperately looked for a way to survive. More people than you think began to grow and sell marijuana.
They look a whole lot like you and me. The economy remains depressed and they continue to grow and sell marijuana.
These people are risking everything. They could lose their homes, their freedom, bank accounts and everything they have worked for. I guess the cash flow is worth the risk. Luckily the little black helicopters are grounded. Remember when they seemed to be everywhere?
A while back one of our county supervisors found a pot farm on the back of his ranch. There must have been a lot of weed. He was burying the crop with a bulldozer.
A week or two ago there was a letter to the editor from Spring Valley.
The writer claimed a large marijuana operation was going in next door. If this is true we are dealing with some bold folks.
The 75-acre ranch next door tome was put up for sale. A short time later the sign came down. In this economy that was a pretty quick sale. I began to see cars and pickups. Huge trucks were hauling many tons of top soil to the back of the property.
Deer fences were being built. A large irrigation pipe went from the well to the grow site. My neighbor and I are retired from law enforcement. We walked back to the property line and were met by the workers. They had made an arrangement with the realtor.
They claimed to be organic farmers. They are staying in the farmhouse. I have never heard a tractor or other machinery.
I find it hard to believe that a vegetable garden would be worth their time or would hold up the sale of a 75-acre ranch. I hope I am wrong. I do like veggies.
I can only hope our local law enforcement is not playing the part of Sergeant Schultz on “Hogan”s Heroes.” Selective law enforcement is no law enforcement.
I am not talking about three or four plants for medicine. We need to go after the big growers and dealers even if they are our friends and neighbors.
These people could care less about medicine. It is all about the money ? a lot of money.
William Hillman
Kelseyville
