Recently it's come to my attention that there are 3 Amendments on the November ballot to legalize medical marijuana in our state.
"Big deal!" you might say. And I'd have said the same thing a couple years ago. Cancer patients, old people with glaucoma and others with debilitating pain deserve a chance to have relief from their pain. I would have said too many people are abusing high potency pain killers like morphine. But I don't believe that way anymore.
Some of you may know that I'm from Colorado. I have relatives that still live there and I visit regularly. And I want you to know what's going on there could easily become our future. In 2000 Colorado legalized medical marijuana. I read it in the paper one day at my brother's house. Big whoop, I thought. They had specific places that a person with a doctor's prescription could pick up a regulated amount of the drug. This had no bearing on my visit at all.
In 2012 Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 which allowed anyone over 21 years of age to have up to an ounce of marijuana. After that happened, I'd tell people I was taking a trip to Colorado and they'd give me a wink and say I know what you're doing. Ha ha! Not true. My family in Colorado doesn't use marijuana.
I regularly visited Colorado up until 2017. And I've seen the changes. This is what I feel all Missourians need to know before they vote on November 6th. Nothing happens overnight. It's a slow progression of small things that have lead up to the current reality in my hometown. And that's why I haven't visited my beautiful hometown lately.
My family lives in a cute little area of Pueblo called Mesa Junction. To me it's like the heart of the town. I'd walk down to Taffy's candy shop, then walk over the bridge to Union Avenue to visit the cute shops and take a stroll around the Riverwalk. Used to be you'd see a few strange people walking down the sidewalks on Abriendo Avenue. I was told they came from the mental health center not far away. As the years went by there were more strange people. They usually had on backpacks. Being naive, I just assumed they were students or something. But no, they were homeless people.
In 2016 during a visit, I got to witness a couple of people with a dog and boxes of stuff have a loud argument at the park across the street from my brother's house. But most of the visit was normal; at least for me.
The worse part was what I witnessed during my last visit. I went out to Colorado in May of 2017. And I did most of my usual tourist stuff. My aunt and I took a trip to the Rosemount Museum. I hadn't been there in years. As we were walking up to the big, beautiful mansion from the street out of the corner of my eye I spied a blanket on a bench. Next thing I know a very big guy gets up from the blanket and starts following us to the door. I was terrified. But I tried to act cool. I sped up the stairs to the door while casually talking about the pretty flowers. The door wouldn't open. Now I'm really freaked out! A sign to the right said ring for entrance; so I punched the doorbell. Inside someone opens the door just enough for me and my aunt to get in. Then they have some words with the guy following us. They weren't pleasant words, either. He said he wanted to visit the gift shop and they said no. The situation was downright unnerving. It seems this guy had been sleeping on this very warm day in a blanket on their property. By the time we left he was gone, but the memory and the feeling still remains.
The worse part was what I witnessed during my last visit. I went out to Colorado in May of 2017. And I did most of my usual tourist stuff. My aunt and I took a trip to the Rosemount Museum. I hadn't been there in years. As we were walking up to the big, beautiful mansion from the street out of the corner of my eye I spied a blanket on a bench. Next thing I know a very big guy gets up from the blanket and starts following us to the door. I was terrified. But I tried to act cool. I sped up the stairs to the door while casually talking about the pretty flowers. The door wouldn't open. Now I'm really freaked out! A sign to the right said ring for entrance; so I punched the doorbell. Inside someone opens the door just enough for me and my aunt to get in. Then they have some words with the guy following us. They weren't pleasant words, either. He said he wanted to visit the gift shop and they said no. The situation was downright unnerving. It seems this guy had been sleeping on this very warm day in a blanket on their property. By the time we left he was gone, but the memory and the feeling still remains.
During this same trip I went with my aunt to Carl Jr.'s. While we were eating a guy came in with his own food. He took seat at a table and promptly fell asleep. I was a little creeped out by it, but I guess there are strange people everywhere. During that same visit to Carl Jr.'s I had to use the bathroom. So I got up and headed to the ladies room. I couldn't open the door. There's a keypad beside the door. I had to go back in line, wait and get the code to get into the bathroom. What kind of place is this? It seems the homeless people had been trashing the bathroom and leaving needles and I don't know what in the bathrooms to the point where the restaurant had to pay money to get a keypad for the restrooms. I'm astonished!
My aunt told me that going to the post office in town isn't a fun experience. Homeless people come in and use the trash can as their toilet. The floor is filthy and it smells bad, even during normal business hours.
My aunt told me that going to the post office in town isn't a fun experience. Homeless people come in and use the trash can as their toilet. The floor is filthy and it smells bad, even during normal business hours.
How did this happen? Why isn't anyone talking about this? At the time, I took comfort in the fact that I live in Missouri. There's no way this can happen here. But I could be wrong.
When recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado many people in other states decided to move out there to live the dream. I guess that involved getting a job in the newly legalized marijuana field and enjoy a toke whenever they liked. Reality must have hit them hard. Most good paying jobs in Pueblo still require a drug test. If you can't find or hold a job, you can't get a place to stay. The homeless population in my hometown is a problem now. That's not the only problem, though. Because people can grow their own marijuana in their house or their backyard, everyone gets to smell the plant. Now I'm not going to say I know what this smells like, but I've been told that the plant smells like a skunk. If there's one growing next door, when the wind is blowing you can smell it in your backyard. It doesn't sound very pleasant.
Colorado's changes didn't happen overnight. I believe they legalized medical marijuana to get taxes to help with education. I don't see the schools any better than they were before. Pueblo just went to a 4 day week. They usually do that to save money. The streets still have potholes. They even voted in a new tax to pay for street repair. And now they have to spend millions of dollars for a homeless shelter and warming stations. After legalizing medical marijuana, they legalized recreational. At the beginning marijuana dispensaries were kept in Pueblo county, now they are infiltrating the city.
I don't want to be an alarmist, but I don't want to see these things happen in Missouri. Please think long and hard before you vote in November. My heart breaks when I think about Colorado. I don't want to deal with that sort of life in Missouri.
Thanks for reading.
Implications of legalization in Colorado
Colorado Springs mayor warns Arizona
It's now legal in Colorado for school personnel to administer medical marijuana to students
Implications of legalization in Colorado
Colorado Springs mayor warns Arizona
It's now legal in Colorado for school personnel to administer medical marijuana to students
No comments:
Post a Comment