A recent guest column by Dennis Lowry referenced the following article that I posted on social media two days after the Dec. 19 meeting at which the City Council voted 4-1 to allow cannabis businesses– exclusive of downtown and the Southhampton Shopping Center. I want to thank Mr. Lowry for his kind words about my willingness to explain my vote. Since he has referenced part of my reasoning, I thought it best to print the entire piece here as well. The following was posted on “Benicia Happenings” and Nextdoor on Dec. 21:
There were a number of questions raised at the Council meeting Dec. 19, and in social media, that did not get the answers that they deserved. There was nearly four hours of public testimony Tuesday that, had all the answers been given (as they should have been) would have stretched the meeting even further into the Wednesday morning– the council adjourned at 1:20 a.m.– but that is not a reason that legitimate questions should not have been addressed, and I will attempt to do so now.
These are only my responses, and don’t reflect the views of other councilmembers or official city policy.
The staff report listed a revenue estimate from the city consultant (HDL) which used various assumptions about the number of businesses that could reasonably be expected to operate, and how much tax revenue they might produce under various tax rates. Those assumption were based on their experience and knowledge working with and reviewing other cities experiences; but there should have been more explanation in the staff report about how those assumptions were arrived at. I have asked the city manager to have HDL provide more background to support their estimates, and will post it here when it is received. Given the holiday break, it will likely be after the New Year before this additional information becomes available.
As to expenses, it is my clear understanding– and I should have asked the city manager to confirm– that it is the intent of the city that ALL licensing, registration, security and inspection costs will be borne by the applicant/business. These issues will be addressed in greater detail at the February meetings when we take up the implementing regulations. As to extra costs to the Police Department, I should have asked Chief Upson this question. However, earlier this week the chief responded to this question in writing. “We would continue to focus our efforts primarily on the black market. We would however take a similar approach as we take with tobacco and alcohol (in partnership with public health) in regards to compliance checks, shoulder taps, stings, advertising compliance and education.” That does not imply a need for extra resources, but I will re-confirm this with the chief at the next meeting.
Another issue raised is that of the conflict between state and federal law. It is true that federal law continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, on par with heroin and methamphetamine, and for which there is “no known medical benefit” (which is clearly counter-factual), but still it remains the case. During the Obama administration, the government took the position that states that have legalized marijuana, and were following their own rules, would not be pursued by the federal government. This was memorialized in the Rohrabacher/Farr amendment; “no funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used to prevent any state from implementing their own law authorizing the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.” This was re-confirmed by President Trump on May 5. It is well known that Attorney General Sessions opposes marijuana in any form, and has said “good people don’t smoke marijuana.” He tried to have this amendment deleted earlier this year, but was turned down by the Republican-led House. It is, of course, possible that he will try again to remove this budget amendment. However, with 64 percent of the country now supporting the decriminalization of marijuana, according to an October Gallup poll, there may not be enough congressional support to do so. But the risk is not zero.
As to the argument that the 63 percent support for Proposition 64 from Benicia voters did not specifically mean support for dispensaries in Benicia, that is true enough. This was a statewide proposition that asked if cannabis should be legalized for adult use. The city survey, however, did ask clearly whether respondents supported dispensaries, both downtown and citywide. 37 percent of the respondents wanted no dispensaries anywhere, while 63 percent supported either both medical and recreational dispensaries (51 percent) or medical only (12 percent). 37 percent opposition, while significant, does not represent a majority of those responding.
To the person seeking the source for the claim that opioid deaths have decreased in states that have legalized marijuana, here it is: https://drugabuse.com/legalizing-marijuana-decreases-fatal-opiate-overdoses/
Finally, someone asked for the source documenting the reduction in cannabis use by youth in Colorado after legalization. Here it is: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/11/following-marijuana-legalization-teen-drug-use-is-down-in-colorado/?utm_term=.9a54bd229bdf
Regardless of your position on this issue, or your feelings on the council’s action, I truly appreciate your interest and willingness to become an active and involved citizen.
Steve Young is vice mayor of Benicia.
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“I not only participated in this survey, I voted a number of times. After voting, I contacted the company conducting the survey and confessed I had used a number of emails to pass multiple votes. Only after my confession did I receive a notice that my multiple votes had been erased.” For a second time, Lowry confesses he was able to jack the results, but he was more detailed in his latest account, The polling site only revised the totals after he contacted them to confess. Basically, anybody could jack the results either way, and so long as you did not confess, your votes were counted. I agree with him that the Town Hall survey is meaningless on any issue it offered up for an opinion. Staff should stop referring to this survey as it is completely bogus. When I sought Lowry’s opinion here about supporting a ballot measure this year to determine actual voter sentiments on cannabis issues, he clammed up. While we’re at it, a vote on amending the DMUMP should also be submitted to the voters. These two prominent issues can at last be put to bed in November.
Looks like “fear the feds” will be the new mantra at the February meeting. I’m standing by the 10th amendment and Rohrabacher-Blumenauer to continue denying funds to DOJ to mess with legal states, as per the 10th. R-B has growing bi-partisan support since it flipped over in 2014. The AG is being vilified by his own party for his ignorant stance on cannabis, and if some headline grabbing US Attorney wants to make a splash for the AG, it won’t be with a raid in a small town.
I fully understand your frustration. But you must get those issues on the ballot. If they pass you win and that is the end of it. If they lose will that be the end of it Stan? To me that is the big question. Get it on the ballot seems to be a very steep hill to clime. Can you do it Stan. Then it will be the results. A vote either way should end the issue. I could live with the vote results. Only because it would be local and the residents/voters spoke up. Then everyone can move forward without political motives. We shall see.
Steve your rationale for your cannabis vote is incomplete in your own words. Yet you voted yes on recreational cannabis storefronts in Benicia. #1: Revenue; You stated that you have a proposal/prospectus for a store front recreational cannabis that would do 10 mil and give the city 1 mil in revenue. Yet you give no evidence of your source and question the assumption {your words} of HDL. Yet you assume/claim your not-confirmed source as reliable but not HDL. Give the folks your unknown reliable source, then the conversation can start. Not until. #2: All licensing, registration, security and inspection costs will be borne by the applicant/business. Without confirmation. #3: Extra costs to the Police Department. Unconfirmed and you assume no need for extra resources. You also left out a very important vote. Benicia Industrial Park response. It was 69% for recreational cannabis in the BIP. That vote alone counters all other city store front recreational cannabis. But you and the council paid no attention to that vote and assumed if not in the BIP they wanted it in commercial areas of Benicia. You are all wrong and cannot confirm that. Again Steve you and others assumed to much. You voted yes on recreational store front cannabis in Benicia without the information to make a sound vote. Yet you voted yes. We do not elect councilmembers on a guess or personal agenda driven ideals. You are elected to carry out the desires of the voters. Steve you failed to meet your obligation.
“Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.”
—Bob Marley
“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world..”
—Carl Sagan
Thank you, vice mayor Young for your well reasoned post.
The article below gives our appointed and elected representatives/citizenry some preliminary dollars and cents insights— to what kind of revenue stream we can expect state wide. These numbers are a conservative estimate..
A clip from the article:
California is set to begin sales of recreational marijuana on January 1.
The market is expected to hit $3.7 billion in 2018 alone, and that number will increase to over $5 billion in 2019.
Legal marijuana will be a tax windfall for the state
California — the world’s sixth largest economy with a population of close to 40 million — will be a huge chunk of the total market for cannabis in North America.
The revenue from sales and taxes will obviously be there, Key question: will Benicia benefit or be left behind?
http://www.businessinsider.com/california-legalizing-weed-on-january-1-market-size-revenue-2017-12
My advice Will is to do the math. The city of Benicia will not benefit all the revenue that everyone says. CalPers will go up over $800,000 every year and the pot revenue if we are lucky will only cover less than half that amount if that much. Not as you think Will. Sorry Will the article by Vice Mayor Young was not at all well reasoned. Full of holes as I have pointed out.
The Vice Mayor has referenced the growing acceptance of regulated cannabis across the nation, even among Republicans, who for the first time in history have jumped over the line to be supportive of legalized cannabis in the most recent Gallup poll. Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) makes history, leading the way for the new GOP.
https://tinyurl.com/yaaes4x5
More cannabis math news the community can use…
“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
– George Washington / 1st U.S. President
(in relation to marijuana legalization) “It’s an experiment, and it’s probably good to have a couple states try it out to see before you make that national policy.”
– Bill Gates / Founder of Microsoft
“I have friends who smoke pot… It’s ridiculous to treat them as criminals.”
– David Koch / businessman, philanthropist, political activist, and chemical engineer
From the comment by Mr. Golovich:
The Vice Mayor has referenced the growing acceptance of regulated cannabis across the nation, even among Republicans, who for the first time in history have jumped over the line to be supportive of legalized cannabis in the most recent Gallup poll.
More details on this point:
“In October of 2017, a Gallup survey found that 64 percent of Americans now favor legal marijuana—the highest level ever recorded. It’s also an issue that receives backing from people across the political spectrum. According to the Gallup poll, a majority of Republicans (51%) are in favor while Independents (67%) and Democrats (72%) support legalization at even higher levels”
The article below gives the community and our appointed and elected leaders more information and economic news about cannabis to seriously ponder…
“New Analysis Shows Federal Marijuana Legalization Could Raise $130 Billion, Add 1 Million Jobs by 2025”
“In addition to putting dent in failed ‘War on Drugs,’ legalization could put hundreds of thousands of people to work and generate billions in revenue”
Read the rest of the post below for a wake-up call, Benicia!!
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/10/new-analysis-shows-federal-marijuana-legalization-could-raise-130-billion-add-1
The wake up call Will is President Trump is the President. Our economy will grow at a quarterly rate of 4%. Without pot. Unemployment is 4.1%. Just do the math Will. Searching all day long for articles that you apparently do not understand and then try to pass them off as fact can be done by anyone who cares to take the time. Me, I will stick with President Trump.
“I have asked the city manager to have HDL provide more background to support their estimates, and will post it here when it is received.”
I hope HdL cranks in the huge volume of Vallejo consumers that will rush our city with loads of cash to spend since Vallejo packs a TEN percent local tax on top of sales and excise taxes. The operators I speak with tell me they serve “thousands” of Proposition 215 patients from Vallejo, Benicia, and beyond.
A ten percent savings will inspire most of them to shop Benicia only, and that is only the “M” license consumers. Opening up to “A” license will triple the sales volume of consumers eager to acquire cannabis at a ten percent savings.
This is an economic windfall that will change our quality of life forever. I share the goal of the Vice Mayor to target rolling back our insane water rates, repave streets, and assure competitive wages/salaries to assure our employees stop looking for jobs elsewhere, and everything else that has been cut due to short funding of the GF.
A full year has went by since a cannabis-based economy has riled the prohibitionists that want something else but have not identified it yet. The real estate community should be grateful for the council majority’s steadfast resolve to integrate cannabis in our town, due to all the sales activity that will be ignited by folks who have said they would sell and leave town. Where will they go anyway? Kansas? Idaho? Not many states left that have not yet accepted regulated cannabis, but they will come around soon enough.
You can support Vice Mayor Young all you want. Vice Mayor Young is all words. No plan on anything you mention.
It’s clear that HdL’s new assessment may reflect a need for MORE than the two dispensaries they recommended initially, based solely on the reality that most of Vallejo’s eleven storefront consumers will rush to Benicia to save TEN percent on taxes. Fairfield and Vacaville storefront bans will add thousands more to our tally, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Dublin, etc. and other in the East Bay that have banned storefront activity. The potential of sustained free-flowing cash into our GF is immense just on “M” license alone. I was concerned many months ago about Benicia not having a pan in the stream for the new California gold (green) rush, but it is clear now that we have a bucket dredge in loose pay-dirt driving a robust regional economy. This is metaphorically ironic in that bucket dredges were made here back in the day.