Mele And Downum Vote NO
Sonora & San Andreas, CA — The two Mother Lode Sheriffs are in 100 percent agreement on the effect of marijuana possibly being legalized for adult recreational use.
From Tuolumne County Sheriff Jim Mele, "Right off the bat you will see an increase in DUIs because marijuana will be so accessible. I think you’ll see people smoking marijuana in their vehicles. We’ll see more DUIs, more traffic collisions. We’ll see more deaths because people will be able to smoke marijuana while they’re driving. I think you will also see more marijuana on the campuses of our schools because now parents will have marijuana accessible to them. They’ll be able to have more marijuana in their backs yards so you’ll see more of an increase at our schools, not only high schools but elementary schools."
From Calaveras County Sheriff Dennis Downum, "I just think it’s a really bad idea but the sheriff doesn’t get to make up the laws. Certainly on a personal level I think it’s a very bad, bad deal. In a lot of ways marijuana is a gateway drug. Certainly everyone who uses marijuana doesn’t move onto harder drugs but virtually everyone who does startes with marijuana. It is an introduction to the culture."
Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com
