Page 10 - Sonoma County Gazette - May, 2018

I#5 - CANNABIS: Voters agreed that cannabis should be legal for both medical and recreational adult use. Do you think legalizing cannabis use will increase or decrease cannabis-related crime? Do you think it will increase or decrease crimes related to alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, opiates and other addictive drug use? Law enforcement response to drug-related crimes is expensive, do you think legalizing cannabis will increase or decrease expenses for the department? Now that growing this crop is legal, what role will local law enforcement play in protecting local farmers, and their neighbors, from thieves, if any?
Mark Essick
Ernesto Olivares
John Mutz
There is no way that this new landscape won’t increase expenses for the department, especially if we engage
it properly. We’ll need a substantial increase in training to understand an ever-evolving legal landscape, as well as how
to distinguish and engage with legal and illegal usage.
Washington State preceded California in this process. Despite extensive study over the last
few years, there is still a lot that’s unknown. So
far, some of that transition has gone better than expected but there are also known issues for which we need to be prepared. For example, Washington has experienced a jump in driver-impaired incidents (including fatalities) and there are still issues with black market activity.
Every state is still very much in its infancy in this policy implementation and the outcomes are uncertain; I’m unwilling to speculate about what may happen here. However, I am committed to keeping an open dialogue going amongst local cannabis advocates, policymakers, and all Sonoma County law enforcement agencies - including the Sheriff’s Office. I believe that input from every local law enforcement organization is critical to the ongoing discussion, learning from one another is vital, and in this new landscape we will sink or swim together.
As Sheriff, our job is to first and always protect our community — and that includes farmers as well as all other industry members. I’m also concerned with how new policies affect illegal grows, any increase in black market activity, and driving incidents.
So the key takeaways are: this is a dynamic landscape so a strong emphasis on continued and evolving training will be essential. In addition, building open channels of regular and engaged dialogue will help us create a smoother path, allow for better mutual understanding, mitigate confusion, and help us identify any developing issues early on.
References for your information:
http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1670/
Ws i p p _ I - 5 0 2 - E v a l u a t i o n - a n d - B e n e f i t - C o s t - A n a l y s i s - Second-Required-Report_Report.pdf
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/ marijuana/article163750293.html
The legalization of cannabis will overall reduce cannabis related crime, however we must be aware of cannabis related driving under the influence and be prepared to educate the public on the dangers of motor vehicle operation while under
For the past 10 years as a Santa Rosa City Council Member, I have served on the Council’s Cannabis Subcommittee, first primarily focused on medical cannabis, and more recently as Chair of the Subcommittee as we began implementing policies
the influence of cannabis. Cannabis legalization will not have a significant impact on alcohol or other addictive drug use, but research will need to be conducted as we navigate this uncharted territory. Growers without proper permits are not violating state law, this is a civil code enforcement issue to be handled by Permit Sonoma. The vast majority of these issues are non-criminal zoning issues and not criminal issues. However, there are a few very specific violations as to cannabis cultivation, distribution, and sales that are still crimes in California and I would enforce those violations if I became aware of them.
related to the adult use. Much of our work has been guided by information from the states of Colorado and Washington where adult use has been legal since 2012. Information gathered has helped our technical committee in providing recommendations to the subcommittee. I would expect similar trends to develop in California.
The legalization of cannabis will not significantly affect expenses of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office will simply refocus
our efforts on more serious drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and opiates. These drugs continue to have major impacts on our community with violent crime and the addiction toll they take on our society.
A report published in 2016 found that there
were some increases in cannabis-related crime in Washington primarily in unlicensed distribution and possession of illegal cannabis following legalization. Many of these illegal possessions were being transported to states where cannabis was still illegal. Crime data shows that Washington’s’ Crime reached a 40-year low in 2014, with violent crime down 10 percent and a 13 percent drop in the state’s murder rate. Colorado reported a reduction in overall crime rates, violent crimes, and property crimes.
Legal cannabis operations are those in compliance with state and local law. Those not fully compliant but on a path to compliance are permitted to continue operations under current state and local laws as they work to achieve compliance. Those that are disqualified with no path to compliance and those in the black market make a bad name for those who are in compliance. State and local law specifically spells out how to handle those that are disqualified with no path to compliance and those in the black market. I would take enforcement action as appropriate to protect the public and to protect the good reputation of those who are in compliance against those who are not.
Data in both states show a decline in cannabis use by teens. There is no evidence that legalization increase the overall use of other substances regardless of age. In fact, a 2017 American Journal of Public Health found that in 2014 there was a 6.5 percent reduction in deaths resulting from opioid abuse in Colorado where in previous years that had been trends of increased substance abuse. I believe we can achieve similar reductions locally if we dedicate the appropriate resources to public education, specifically to minors.
My primary role as a peace officer is to maintain public safety, that includes the safety of growers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers. I would maintain and enhance the current Sheriff’s Office policy of working with those in the cannabis industry to make their operations safe for their communities, employees and customers. The Sheriff’s Office under my leadership will continue to provide advice on security measures and policies that will protect compliant cannabis businesses from criminal activity.
I expect to see a reduction in expenses dedicated to cannabis to allow law enforcement to focus
on the enforcement of dangerous addictive
drugs. Our role in cannabis will be in helping cannabis businesses gain compliance with state law and county ordinances. There will still be cannabis related crimes including robberies, illegal manufacturing and distribution by those who ignore state law. It is my intent to work with the industry to develop training for both the industry and law enforcement to focus on crime prevention efforts, public safety, and the effective investigation of crimes against cannabis businesses. It is my intent to develop a training plan that includes the cannabis industry and to include surrounding counties.
1st Day to Vote by MAIL is May 7th. Last Day to REGISTER is May 21st. Last Day County accepts Voter application to Vote by MAIL is May 29. Voter Information Guides - Call 800-345-8683 (VOTE)
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