I am writing this letter to voice my opposition to marijuana dispensaries in Lincoln County. While marijuana may have some medicinal use for some people, it is com-mon knowledge that most use the drug solely for recreational purposes. The medical marijuana industry is nothing more than a sham, it is simply a legal workaround to mas-querade recreational use as medicinal use.
All one needs to do to acquire a medical mariju-ana card (MMC) is go to the right doctor and com-plain of “headaches” and for less than a few hun-dred dollars walk out with a MMC. It is as easy as that, there are no checks or balances within the system. I am also not buying the proponents argument that not having a marijua-na dispensary within Lin-coln County is a hardship for those that need/want the drug. Even the most impoverished residents of Lincoln County some-how find a way to make monthly trips to the Walmart in Kalispell to save a few dollars on var-ious and sundry items.
In my opinion the hardship argument is fallacious. It is no secret that Lincoln County has a problem with alcohol abuse, methampheta-mines and opioids, do we really need to add easy and legal access to mari-juana to this toxic mix? I hope not.
Submitted by Jake Haines, Lincoln County, Mont.
Medical marijuana dispensaries are a sham
