Submitted by Robert R. Copper
Dear Mayor and Council,
What have you been up to now? Banning medical marijuana in Coronado? Have you no souls, no decency, no sense of compassion? As as cancer victim, I could not use medical marijuana if I had wanted to because it wasn’t legalized until after my cancer. If my cancer recurs, I want to be able to avail myself of the law that passed in 1996. Prop. 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, has brought relief to many, many cancer victims, AIDS patients, the injured, the burned and the dying. I can tell you I’d have tried it in 1995. I hear it beats puking in a bucket all day.
For those worried about the political optics, as seems may be the real issue here, Prop. 215 passed 55.6% in favor and 44.4% opposed. The support for medical marijuana has soared since 1996, as shown by the fact 23 states and the District of Columbia have approved medical marijuana measures, and not by small margins in all but one case.
We have lots of cancer survivors in Coronado. Just go to the Relay for Life. We have AIDS patients, we have injured, burned and chronically suffering veterans, and we have people who are dying. These maladies are extremely unpleasant at best, and I think people should be able to use whatever medication is prescribed that has a chance of helping them, despite the “Reefer Madness” residuals in society and apparently on the Council. Your enactment of the ordinance banning medical marijuana is a slap in the face to all of us. It is the work of petty-minded politicians who seem prone to an increasing amount of nonsense in their decisions. It is further an insult, because what you telling the cancer victims, injured veterans and the dying is they have to go across the bridge to get their legally, doctor-prescribed medication. “You can’t get it brought to your home. Go across the bridge.” A 2012 report (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Of course we have counsel’s sage advice: pass this ordinance to preserve your local control. You can always repeal it. This is bad advice and just plain crazy. Good government doesn’t act this way or hide behind counsel. You were elected to think and be rational. I would hope you’d be kind and compassionate, too. If you want to know the public’s opinion, in May we have the Relay for Life. Let’s ask participants to tell us what they think of Coronado banning medical marijuana. Better yet, why don’t you all come down and ask them yourselves? We can set up a booth for people to come visit you.
You don’t get it. The people of California said medical marijuana is legal. It is a physician-prescribed drug. The truth is many who suffer disease or injury where medical marijuana could alleviate pain, probably won’t use it, but we sure want the option. I don’t want to be told that if my cancer recurs and I’m dying, I somehow have to drag myself across the bridge to get what may help me. The law requires the patient himself/herself to receive the medical marijuana, unless you have a registered, card-carrying caregiver. Maybe you should fund a shuttle run once a week to Barrio Logan so the marijuana patients can get their drugs.
Please repeal this ordinance forthwith. It is an actuarial fact that each of you will have friends and family who will suffer from problems medical marijuana may help. However unfortunate, you will have to deal with the sick, injured and dying near you. Some of you already have, I’m sure. Just rehearse how you’re going to tell them, “Sorry, you can’t get your meds in Coronado. It’s a local control thing.” Can you imagine yourself in this situation saying anything like this?
Yours,
Robert R. Copper
Coronado
