Free-Floating Hysteria

Nick Welsh hit the proverbial nail on the head when he cited “free floating hysteria” and “more than a little hypocrisy” as characteristic of the local controversy over medical marijuana dispensaries. I used to believe that the popular analogy between law making and sausage making was a silly cliche. But that was before I had the misfortune to attend and speak at the recent Santa Barbara City Council’s debate on the issue. During my brief comments, I stated that in my humble opinion the free-floating hysteria about dispensary customers selling pot to school kids was based more on urban myth than reality. Councilmember Iya Falcone stated that those who ignore this “live in holes.” Later, when I told her I was one of those living a hole, and asked her to cite one concrete instance of this outrage, she responded “go ask the cops.” Silly me; I thought asking the cops was what any lawmaker would think of doing, especially Falcone, who used to be local law enforcement’s poster girl. But what else can one expect from a former mayoral candidate who could not get 100 registered voters to sign her nominating petitions?-Andy Boehm