Joe Sampson
Please explain your position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, adult-use or both?
The people of Avalon already have an efficient delivery system for medical cannabis and it works just fine.
In addition, adults in Avalon can grow three plants for their personal use.
Outside of that I do not approve of a brick and mortar dispensary. My constituents do not want it and I do not want it.
Yolanda “Yoli” Montano
Please explain your position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, adult-use or both?
I am a 5th generation resident of our beautiful, unique and small city, which I dearly love. With under 3 square miles, we house a resident population of nearly 4,000 and our only viable industry, our visitors, bring approximately one million more people to our shores. Our schools educate over 500 of our children, of which over half are teens. Our pre-school provides a much-needed experience for approximately 35 children aged 18 months to 6 years. As a working mother, I raised my two children here and know that our “close-in” proximity, (less than 1 square miles of city area) can provide us many challenges as our children grow.
On behalf of the community, the Islander newspaper requested I share my position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon for medical and/or recreational use.
Please know that I am pleased that the City Council has permitted the provision of a medical cannabis delivery service directly to our residents who have an illness for which their physician has provided a prescription. Our residents should have an ability to obtain the medications prescribed by their physicians.
Based on this, I do not see a need for a medical cannabis dispensary due to this delivery service.
Regarding the part of question concerning the direct sales of cannabis and/or in a storefront dispensary, following are my thoughts.
The voters in our community will have an opportunity to weigh in on the topic, with the two Advisory Ballot Measures in the March 2020 election. If you elect me to the office of Council Member, I shall certainly consider the voice of the voters. However, my position is now based on the following information, facts and observations, that the City of Avalon should not permit the sale of and/or storefront dispensary of cannabis for recreational use.
Considerations in My Position
– Our limited square miles negate finding a suitable “storefront” location for sales or use of any cannabis products. We do not have a “strip mall”. Having an armed security person in a storefront Cannabis sales facility would not be appropriate for our residents or visitors. In addition, for those who smoke cannabis products, smoking is not permitted in many of our locations, including hotels. Edible cannabis products left on a bench, where a child could inadvertently pick up and consume the items, is not acceptable.
– There is national and state research that shows, authorized legal sale of recreational cannabis can increase teen use of Cannabis and affect their overall health and development.
– Some newspaper and other research articles indicate cities permitting these recreational use sales experienced an increase in crime and more security is needed.
– Any economic benefits to the city may be overrated. If elected, I will seek other revenue generation sources, together with the other council members, that benefit our community, not potentially harm or increase risks to our children and others in the community or our visitors.
– I think that there is a likely probability that residents or visitors who want to use cannabis products already have their sources on the mainland to acquire them.
-The sale of and/or storefront sales facility are not a “good fit” in our community.
In closing, I believe our quality of life would be, in my opinion, significantly less with the direct sales of and/or storefront facility of medical or recreational Cannabis. Let us work together to make the improvements we need in our community for a better quality of life for all.
Yesenia Sarahi De La Rosa
Please explain your position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, adult-use or both?
This statement had me consider the seriousness of the proposal of having a dispensary in Avalon. Immediately my thoughts rushed to the ill individuals that finally have found something that could relieve their pain. “A 2013 survey in the New England Journal of Medicine found that nearly 8-in-10 doctors approved the use of medical marijuana.
Now, a wide-ranging survey in California finds that medical marijuana patients agree: 92 percent said that medical marijuana alleviates symptoms of their serious medical conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis, migraine, and cancer.” Although these are great numbers, there still will be concerns for our youth because it has a greater impact on younger developing brains.
It makes it difficult to choose whether or not we should withdraw from having dispensaries. We will need to educate and inform our teens on how to avoid substance abuse, not just with cannabis but alcohol and any drugs that have the potential to be harmful or addictive. We will need to bring back programs like DARE that also helped community-police relations. I feel for those who live with pain every day and if a cannabis dispensary could alleviate their suffering then I’d be willing to push for more education to inform our youth, for their sake.
Lisa Lavelle
Please explain your position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, adult-use or both?
I’ve had the opportunity to see the effects of cannabis use first-hand – in the general public for recreational use, in people who are going through cancer/chemo treatment, and in those who choose to self-medicate with it. I am thankful that Carl has opened his delivery service for members of the community who will benefit from being able to get safe medical cannabinoid treatment without having to extend their time or stress on the mainland. I’ve seen how much it can help alleviate physical illness and know that it has been the one thing that has made life bearable and/or liveable in the gaps between treatment and recovery for many locals. For its medicinal purposes that reach back through centuries of use, I appreciate it as an alternative and more commonly prescribed treatment.
I am honestly uncertain about supporting or denying recreational dispensaries or delivery in town. Seeing operations in places like Seattle – I know it can be done respectfully and with the utmost oversight and security where it may be in the city’s financial interest to allow or support a business like that to operate. That being said, I’ve also seen the devastation cannabis can cause or exacerbate, especially in teens and young adults who overuse or misuse it to combat mental health challenges, anxiety, depression, and a host of other issues that feel too great to bear otherwise. Any approval would need to be coupled with payment into programs addressing underlying mental health challenges along with any increased law enforcement and/or mental health specialists needed. I’m very interested to see how the community votes in the upcoming election on Measures E & F – I think any decision that significant has to be made with the community’s input.
Oley Olsen
Please explain your position on bringing cannabis dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, adult-use or both?
I believe bringing cannabis store front dispensaries to Avalon, either for medical, or adult use, is wrong for Avalon.
We already have Medical Cannabis delivery service for those that qualify buying cannabis.
The Avalon youth already appear to have too much access to both liquor and local illegal cannabis. Check out the Sherriff’s Log in the Islander. An Adult Use store front would only make more cannabis available to our youth of Avalon.
