Letter to the editor: Medical marijuana user against Measure F

As a breast cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy this past year, I obtained a legal certification to purchase medicinal marijuana.

If I hadn’t been a clueless mom buying medicinal marijuana for the first time, I might have realized there are already a half a dozen dispensaries that deliver to Cardiff, Encinitas, Leucadia and Olivenhain. Instead, I went to the first brick-and-mortar dispensary someone told me about, which was in Kearny Mesa.

Although the drive wasn’t exactly convenient, the dispensary was located in an ideal part of town for such a business — an industrial area, away from schools and residences. I never experienced any difficulty obtaining marijuana at this location, and one look at the website WeedMaps.com shows there are dispensaries like it all over the county (not to mention those handy delivery services).

Although you might think someone like me would support Measure F, you’d be wrong. Here’s why: Encinitas lacks a natural location for such dispensaries. Unlike in Kearny Mesa or other areas, there are few storefronts that are not near residences, schools or retail locations that cater to families.

I’m unapologetic about using marijuana to mitigate side effects from chemo, but that doesn’t mean I want my kids walking past a dispensary on their way to school (I’d rather they avoid walking past liquor stores, too).

Second, when I think about the types of businesses that make for a vibrant community, dispensaries are not on my list. While they do provide a valuable service (hey, so do Big Box drugstores), that doesn’t mean I want to see them popping up all over town (same goes for the Big Boxes).

I’d much rather see retail space go to something that builds community or contributes to our town’s unique character. You have to show ID and be buzzed in and out of a dispensary — that doesn’t exactly scream “community gathering place.”

It’s not difficult to buy medicinal marijuana in San Diego. There’s really no good reason — even for cancer patients — to make it any easier.

Tiffany Fox