Westside Story – Faulty Logic

It is clear to me a great many pro-marijuana people suffer from a crippling defect in their ability to process logical thought as related to I-502 which was an initiative to decriminalize marijuana.

Let me try to explain my point.

FACT 1: 54% of Lakewood voters voted to decriminalize marijuana. Some of us do not like the outcome of the vote, but as Lakewood Councimember John Simpson aptly says, “Majority rules”.

FACT 2: 0% of Lakewood voters voted for or against opening drug distribution centers in the City of Lakewood. Cannabis shops in Lakewood is a separate question that was not a part of I-502 and has never been on the ballot.

FACT 3: Many pro-marijuana people leap from FACT 1 to thinking that particular vote on one issue means Lakewood is mandated to apply that 54% majority vote to an entirely separate issue.

To illustrate my point I offer three examples of faulty logic.

Faulty Logic #1: Because 54% of Lakewood citizens voted for I-502 making the possession of marijuana legal in Washington State, THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD IS MANDATED TO ALLOW CANNABIS SHOPS IN LAKEWOOD. False.

Faulty Logic #2: Because 54% of Lakewood citizens voted for I-502 making the possession of marijuana legal in Washington State, THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD IS MANDATED TO ALLOW SERVING MARIJUANA BROWNIES TO SCHOOL CHILDREN AS A PART OF OUR FREE LUNCH PROGRAM. It should be noted that the National Sweet Tooth Association’s survey showed 100% of children between K – 12 love brownies. False.

Faulty Logic #3: Because 54% of Lakewood citizens voted for I-502 making the possession of marijuana legal in Washington State, THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD IS MANDATED TO ALLOW MARIJUANA SMOKING INSIDE COUNCIL CHAMBERS DURING ANY PUBLIC MEETING TO HELP FACILITATE THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETING PROCESS.

IF THE AUDIENCE IS HIGH FROM SMOKING MARIJUANA, EVEN IF THEY CANNOT HEAR WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING SAID BECAUSE OF LAKEWOOD’S FAULTY MICROPHONE SYSTEM, THEIR HALLUCINOGENIC STATE WILL ALLOW THEM TO HEAR VOICES THAT ARE NOT THERE.

If the audience can see council members’ lips moving and at the same time hear voices that are not there, it will seem just like a real open public meeting. False.

Yes, we live in a democracy and pro-marijuana folks won the vote to decriminalize marijuana, but that fact does not logically lead to all kinds of other conclusions as I have tried to illustrate above.

I know of citizens who voted YES to decriminalize marijuana who would vote NO to allow cannabis shops in Lakewood.

Thank you Mayor Don Anderson, Deputy Mayor Whalen, Councilmember Michael Brandstetter, and Councilmember Marie Barth for not allowing faulty logic to distract you from making the right decision for our community.

Councilmember John Simpson, while we do not agree, I thank you for sharing your logic related to your decision to support authorizing cannabis shops in Lakewood.

Councilmembers Mary Moss and Paul Bocchi, your silence at the council meeting when you voted to support authorizing cannabis shops in Lakewood left many members of the audience ignorant as to the rational behind your votes. It would be nice for the citizens of Lakewood to know. Otherwise we are left to only imagine why you voted as you did. Imagination leads some citizens to include motivations that are outside proper, ethical, and legal political behavior. No one I know of is making any ugly accusations, but the citizens just do not know.

Weed smokers, you won the big one. Marijuana is legal according to Washington State.

Your loss on allowing cannabis shops in Lakewood means two things. One, you have to leave the city to buy weed, like we have to leave the city when we want to buy at Costco. Two, there are multiple weed shops just outside the city, within less than five miles of Lakewood City Hall, all of which are much closer than Costco.