‘No pot plant here, neighbor’

Dear Editor:

I’m writing in regard to Adam Curtis’s article, “Douglas pot plant won’t sprout”, which appeared in the Douglas Dispatch on April 25, 2012. There are a couple of things I take exception to. I attended the meeting and was opposed to Ms. Patten receiving a permit to grow medical marijuana in our neighborhood.

Mr. Curtis said Ms. Patten is a resident of Douglas. It is true she owns or did own a rental property in Douglas and owns a house in our rural area outside Douglas, but she is not a resident of Douglas. Her residence is in Mesa, Arizona. She visits Douglas a couple times a year for a few days at a time, but she does not live here. Her mailing address is Mesa.

As the article said, Ms. Patten did respond to a rhetorical question about crime raised by Commissioner Jay Sanger. The answer she gave was based on information which is true in part, but it’s terribly misleading. I don’t believe Ms. Patten intended to mislead anyone. She just doesn’t have all the facts. I have enclosed articles from the Denver Post and other sources stating there is criminal activity surrounding medical marijuana growing and dispensary facilities in Denver and elsewhere. While crime in general may not go up appreciably, criminals are going after medical marijuana facilities because, quite frankly, they are easy targets. The criminals have just changed their venue. Marijuana is easy to sell illegally on the street for as much as $300 to $600 an ounce, which makes it the perfect thing to steal. According to law enforcement officials, the other advantage to crooks is many thefts involving medical marijuana are never reported by the victims.

If a medical marijuana cultivation site were permitted in our rural neighborhood, it would be like putting up a neon sign inviting trouble into our neighborhood from both sides of the border. We are only four miles from the Mexican border. The County Sheriff’s Department has told us that with current staffing limitations, they don’t know how well they could respond to all the potential problems they anticipate we could see if medical marijuana is permitted in our rural community. I guarantee you, our concerns are legitimate. We would be at risk.

“No pot plant here”, neighbor.

Bruce Skippar