I was born and raised in Colorado. I came to Hawaii when I was 20 years old. When I left Hawaii I knew where I was going to spend the rest of my life, but did not realize it would be 30 years before I could permanently return. My wife and I are now starting our 29th year in Hawaii.
I was born and raised in Colorado. I came to Hawaii when I was 20 years old. When I left Hawaii I knew where I was going to spend the rest of my life, but did not realize it would be 30 years before I could permanently return. My wife and I are now starting our 29th year in Hawaii.
I returned to Colorado last May. This was the first time I had been in Colorado since recreational marijuana had been approved two years earlier. Colorado was not the state I remember growing up and working in. There were major changes in every aspect. The state Legislature was very proud of tax money that was being raised from the taxes on marijuana. They were going to work harder to eliminate the illegal sales of marijuana, so they can increase the tax money to show how much better of a job they were doing.
Our families still live in Colorado, and they have lost all hope of living a good life. About 40,000 people a month are moving into the Denver area, for the recreational marijuana. When members of our family try to buy a home, they offer the asking price plus $10,000 to $15,000 and then find out it is sold the next day for the asking price plus 10 to 15 percent above what our family offered.
I was amazed at how bad the traffic is. The speed limit is 75 mph, but if you are driving at 75 mph you are very likely to get run over. Car accidents are happening so fast, and everywhere, and deaths are increasing. The homeless population has increased at an unbelievable rate. The homeless are now in every city around Denver, but the majority of the homeless are young people who came to Colorado for the marijuana. The homeless are asking for money, and the majority of them are very young. Shootings, robberies and rapes have increased in all of the cities around Denver.
Crimes have increased in all areas of the state. The marijuana industry now has all the money they need to control the state Legislature, and they are doing it. I feel very sorry for the residents of Colorado, as their lives have changed drastically due to recreational marijuana use.
I look at Colorado and Hawaii and what Hawaii is trying to do with marijuana. I know that if legal recreational marijuana is approved in Hawaii, it will be worse than Colorado, as Hawaii has much easier living conditions than Colorado.
I see Hawaii becoming the biggest state for marijuana with people moving into the state and not leaving, but expecting the state to take care of them. I also see crime increase and the loss of the Hawaiian legacy. I expect that the state Legislature will be impressed at how great they are doing in raising tax money. This is not what I want for the people of Hawaii, nor do I think this is what the majority of the people want for Hawaii. What do you want?
Lerre McCLure is a resident ofKailua-Kona