Welcome to our letters to the editor/opinion section. To submit yours for consideration, please send to matthewplafever@gmail.com. Please consider including an image to be used–either a photograph of you or something applicable to the letter. However, an image is not necessary for publication.
Remember opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of MendoFever nor have we checked the letters for accuracy.
Travis Scott, Executive Director of Visit Mendocino 
I have been hesitant to speak on the new cannabis ordinance because of how it’s been portrayed by referendum proponents, but I feel an issue this important for our community merits thoughtful discussion.
It’s ok for community members to come down on both sides of this issue and it’s ok if you signed the petition with the best of intentions but, didn’t realize the impacts a referendum would have. You can contact the County Clerk if you would like to remove your signature.
For those of us who hold a vision of environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development for Mendocino County, the referendum is unfortunately not the path that it promises to be. While claiming to protect the environment, it would actually remove all environmental protections and limits to activities like water hauling and illegal diversions.
A referendum would effectively shut down the legal cannabis industry and set back our economy several years in terms of developing new tourism opportunities which celebrate our local legacy farms. The new ordinance offers a path forward for licensed farms which will allow them to build out the Mendocino brand and build on our rich heritage of local agriculture to share with the world. This agriculture heritage and the Mendocino Cannabis brand directly support our tourism economy. Visitors are traveling for cannabis, exploring, learning and engaging with communities and tend to stay longer as visitors, spending more during their stays.
Sincerely,
Travis Scott
Executive Director
Visit Mendocino County
PO BOX 89 UKIAH CA 95482
p 707.964.9010
Not having a cannabis program would keep us from accessing the 100s of millions of dollars earmarked for eradication that comes from cannabis taxes, as mandated by the voters of prop 64. So essentially closing the cannabis program will be a boom for environmentally damaging illegal operators. We would have to rely on our local funds for eradication, which is a bumpy road since the sheriff is trying to hire legal counsel to represent them against the BOS. When Humboldt started eradicating farms it caused an exodus, which went to Mendocino. Same thing happened when Sonoma started eradicating. If we drop the ball and loose state and federal support it will not bode well for our county.