Countering Cannabis Propaganda

Reefer Madness is a well-known, over-the-top, and long-ago-discredited 1936 propaganda film filled with fantastical images intended to scare teens about marijuana, which is why it’s an interesting choice for the title of Ann Louise Bardach’s op-ed published on April 17. Like the film, Bardach’s piece is filled with exaggerations, misinformation, and fearmongering that requires correction.

Bardach would have you believe that the Santa Barbara County Supervisors have turned into Scarface but with cannabis replacing cocaine. In actuality, it’s more like a surprise season eight of Parks and Recreation. Maybe it’s not that humorous. Yet my name has been dragged through the mud and my character questioned, so it’s important to share my side of the story.

I was sworn in as 1st District Supervisor on January 2, 2017 ​— ​53 days after voters approved Proposition 64, legalizing recreational marijuana in California. I began receiving complaints about cannabis odor in Carpinteria (and experienced it myself as a resident) long before I took office or before voters approved Prop. 64. Working with staff, I discovered there wasn’t any action to take against the odor or bad actor operations because they claimed to be “legal, non-conforming.”