VISTA — Vista residents can expect to see a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana businesses in the next general municipal election on Nov. 6, 2018. The City Council unanimously approved the initiative on Sept. 26.
City Clerk Kathy Valdez presented the item to notify the City Council that the registrar of voters obtained a certification of signatures from a petition. Valdez certified the petition named “An Initiative to Legalize Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) in the City of Vista.”
“It was filed on Aug. 9, 2017, as sufficient for the next regular election which will take place on Nov. 6, 2018,” Valdez said.
Following Valdez, one speaker opposed medical marijuana businesses in Vista and another spoke in support of them.
Deputy Mayor John Franklin shared his concerns. He said a new generation has emerged with a clear understanding of the health ramifications of smoking traditional tobacco products.
“It’s certainly dramatically different than the generation of our parents and grandparents who didn’t understand the harms of using tobacco and inhaling the smoke in your lungs,” he said. “It does seem terribly ironic to me that we now have a massive movement to increase access to smoking marijuana that will absolutely field the next step of an epidemic of lung cancer.”
Franklin called it unfortunate and said a move to educate citizens would be necessary. Nevertheless, Franklin moved that the initiative go forward without any alteration to hear what the citizens of Vista want.
“There are strong feelings, and we know that the public has something to say about this,” he said. “None of us here are necessarily medical experts or experts in any other regard other than our own life experiences, and I really think we owe it to the people who live in the city to give them a say on this.”
Councilman Joe Green also approved Franklin’s motion.
Councilwoman Amanda Rigby also agreed to move forward, but noted calls she received from a handful of people who signed the petition but had a change of heart reading it after the fact.
“I actually got phone calls from six people telling me that they didn’t read it before they signed it at the supermarket parking lot,” she said. “They thought based on the pollsters of what was told to them by the signature gatherer that it was going to be a good thing. They signed the petition, and then they took the time later to read it and realized that it’s not something they wanted in the community.”
Rigby said people reached out to her and asked how to get their signatures removed from the petition, She advised them to contact the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office.
Rigby closed by saying that people had the right to look at this ballot, read it and vote on it.
3 comments
It would be refreshing if members of the city council took the time to actually research their statements rather than engage in miss information unsupported by facts. There is reams of research available from placed like Israel where it has been medically legal for decades. You embarrass yourselves and foster distrust with your constituents when you rely on past propaganda. This has been an open secret in the US since the Nixon years.
oh so my comment gets deleted but your garbage article is allowed to stay? there will be no epidemic because itd already be happening by now an theres been numerous studies done proving its safer then tobacco the smoke isnt the same at all an thc an cbd is believed to be the reason why theres no cancer from marijuana smoking
hey to whoever thinks there will eb epidemic of cancer is wrong. why isnt it happen now then? show me one study an patient who died soley from marijuan? you cant because the smoke isnt the same as tobacco they may share simuliar components but the cbd an thc is believed to be the reason it promotes cancers cells from forming. people like willie nelson would have it by now an hes fine along with snoop an wiz khalifa. you need to stop comparing the two substances because ones legal an has proven to be fatal to the health of humans an one has alot more benefits then harm has never killed a person helps people get off opiots an hard drugs an even is prescribed as a medicine. so get your facts straight do some research like for example dr donald tashkins study who was funded $ by the GOVERNMENT to test an prove it wad a cancer causing substamce an he discovered the opposite youd know that if you did one hour of research realize your not helping by contiuing to sell cigarettes to the public instead your whole problem is legalization. gtfo. marijuanas been used for thousands of years an its even in the bible!! so dont try an tell me theres gonna be an epidemic when this plants been here since your ass was even born an it hasnt caused a single death or cancer case ever.
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