Have you received a mailer asking you to vote YES on Ballot Proposition #1? Local Pot Shop owner wants your help to infect our community with more marijuana! He claims it will help the police with funding!
This mailer was FUNDED and SENT by Ken Weaver- the Cannabis Shop owner in Yakima/Union Gap pressing our family friendly community to allow his psychoactive drugs to be sold within our city!
Mr. Weaver makes some claims in this mailer... let's go through them!
FRONT OF FLYER STATES: "Vote yes on West Richland Proposition 1 by Tuesday, August 6th to support public safety, personal freedom, and tax cannabis instead of gas and groceries. Proposition 1 will:
"Offset burdensome taxes, create new jobs, and undermine criminal gangs" - Ken Weaver funded flyer.
Taxes: Taxes will not be reduced due to the introduction of a cannabis store, however, the city will certainly find a way to create additional spending to take advantage of the estimated 60 thousand dollars in annual tax income. (Estimated from the Liquor and Cannabis Store- find source on The Pot Shop Issue page) The current annual budget for the City of West Richland hovers around $70 million per year. This additional 60 thousand dollars will barely pay for half of a West Richland Police officer! Considering the additional police calls associated with most pot shops - the tax dollars gained will likely be absorbed by the additional policing cost.
Creating jobs is nothing unique to a cannabis shop! Why not put in restaurants, boutiques, shopping facilities, outdoor activities, grocery stores, etc. Those would create more jobs and a better economy than all the cannabis shops combined!
According to the National Safety Council: THC in marijuana affects depth perception, reaction time, coordination and other motor skills, and it creates sensory distortion. For someone operating machinery, driving a forklift or delivering products in a vehicle, these effects can be deadly.
According to a study reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more industrial accidents, 85% more injuries and 75% greater absenteeism compared to those who tested negative. Also impacting the bottom line are:
Decreased productivity
Increased worker compensation and unemployment compensation claims
High turnover
Lawsuits
The influence of cannabis in our community will not have a positive effect on employees. "High turnover" and "decreased productivity" are listed as impacts of marijuana use by employees. This would not be a plus to our local economy!
"Undermine criminal gangs?" - The creation of new drug addicts will do more for the drug cartels, and will bolster the numbers of future consumers of hard drug cartel products. The introduction of more cannabis into our community is not the answer to eliminated illegal street dealers. The illegal street dealers need to be found out and stopped by our amazing police force!
Also, regarding Ken's claim that groceries are taxed-- news flash for Mr. Weaver-- WA State generally does NOT tax groceries! (See WA State Department of Revenue)
CLAIM #1: "A YES vote on Proposition 1 trusts adults 21 and over to make their own decisions. Today, West Richland sends its cannabis consumers and their tax dollars elsewhere.
VOTING NO to Proposition 1 does NOT remove the decisions of those wanting to partake in doing drugs from having that option. The Arena Road Nirvana shop (located on County property) is already located within close proximity to West Richland. Anyone over 21 who wants to partake in the consumption of a psychoactive drug has readily available access through the already existing cannabis stores- there are multiple in the Tri-Cities.
As stated previously, the tax dollars are minimal and would not fund a single police officer!
CLAIM #2: "A YES vote on Proposition 1 allows for taxes on cannabis raising up to $160,000 annually for city needs.* YES on Proposition 1 allows a user tax generating locally-focused revenue to offset other taxes that burden everyone."
*Tri-City Herald, November 9, 2023
FALSE! According to the Liquor and Cannabis Board response to an email inquiry- they estimate that our community would only make around 63k a year depending on sales. And as stated before- adding a cannabis shop will NOT offset other taxes.
The City's annual budget hovers over 70 Million- an additional 60k is hardly enough to justify the introduction of drugs into a community! It will not improve the economy, it will not improve peoples lives, and it is in complete violation of the city's Values, Vision, and Mission Statement! (See Home Page for statements (scroll down)
CLAIM #3: "A YES vote on Proposition 1 will allow West Richland to offer new jobs as part of our state's legal cannabis industry, which supports more than 18,000 workers statewide. ** A YES vote puts West Richland in control instead of allowing criminals to make money on its streets."
**Economic Impact Analysis of Washington Cannabis Industry
Once West Richland allows pot into its community, it will not be able to stop more from coming in! There will be multiple pot stores sprinkled throughout our community! Thanks to a WA State "Social Equity" law, the city will be unable to prevent more drug dealers from setting up shop- and this law encourages those with previous drug-related felony's to start up their business again!
The detrimental effects of marijuana and the negative impacts it has to the community will not be worth any amount of money. Let's invite businesses who will bring positive impact into our community- like shopping boutiques, restaurants, activity centers/locations, educational centers, etcetera. Those businesses would ALSO bring in jobs- AND more families!
Instead of increasing our number of drug addicts by allowing cannabis sales into our community "legally", let us NOT allow drugs at all! Our police force is exceptional and should be able to track down all those who are selling drugs off of the streets. Pro-Pot people have mentioned how there are illegal drug sales going on, have they reported them to the police?
CLAIM #4: "A YES vote on Proposition 1 to legalize cannabis in West Richland undermines criminal gangs. It means cannabis consumers have access to safe, tested products in place of dangerous garage drugs."
What's the difference between recreational cannabis bought from a street drug dealer and a "legal" drug dealer? One pays taxes! But both dispense mind-altering, life destroying substances to different degrees.
(*update):
Marijuana does not support public safety. "According to studies, marijuana can slow your reaction time, impair judgment of distance, and decrease coordination, which are essential when you're behind the wheel of a vehicle" (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Marijuana use impairs driving, and this will make our traffic less safe with the increase of recreational marijuana use. According to Benton County Sheriff's Office records, compared to the five years prior to the Arena Road Nirvana shop coming in, police calls and activity around the neighborhoods surrounding the shop dramatically increased in the 5 year span after the cannabis shop opened. (Please view The Pot Shop Issue page for sources)
The more people smoke marijuana, the more will develop cannabis use disorders. This substance will not be a positive addition to our community's environment!
Again- all drug sales whether from a drug dealer in a business suit or a drug dealer on the street corner, should not be allowed in our family-friendly community!
VOTE "DO NOT ALLOW" on the August 6th Primary Ballot!
Vote against the introduction of psychoactive drugs into our community filled with kids and families!
Visit our "Pot Shop Issue" Page to learn more about the effects and impacts marijuana has on communities!
Sign the petition! Send a letter to City Council, and write an email!