California is routinely making the news these days for various changes being implemented by the state’s leaders. Some of these changes have been praised, while others took a lot of heat.
The Golden State has also been plagued with significant population loss. Since 2020, more and more people determined that living in California isn’t best for themselves or their families.
Much of the migration away from the state also coincidentally leads to states like Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. It’s become such an issue for California that it lost a seat in the House of Representatives not too long ago.
Now, California is making headlines, this time for a potential piece of its desert land being used to grow cannabis, according to the San Francisco Gate.
An Interesting Turn of Events
In the Mojave Desert, there are 29 acres of land that once housed a huge outlet mall. However, with the mall being long gone, the Barstow City Council recently voted in favor of turning this land into what’s being billed as a “supercenter” for cannabis.
With three yay votes and one nay vote late last month, the council will have to again convene before the cannabis supercenter is officially greenlit.
Health Effects of Marijuana https://t.co/HCvTa25veB MUST READ BEFORE BARSTOW, CA OPENS MASSIVE CANNABIS RETAIL OUTLET NEXT TO THE FREEWAY AND ADDING DRIVERS UNDER THE INFLUENCE TO THE HEAVILY TRAVELED FREEWAY INCREASING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
— Rick Alvidrez (@rick_alvidrez) December 29, 2022
Despite the vote of the city council, some members of Barstow are not thrilled with the direction things seem to be going in. Many in the community are worried about the impact that a cannabis supercenter would have on Barstow.
Others expressed reservations about the project in light of Barstow’s prior reputation as the world’s “meth capital.” Some members of the community warn that what the city council is doing could lead to history repeating itself in a negative way.
To further add to the controversy, the developer behind the cannabis project turns out to have been a donor to multiple Barstow City Council members. Therefore, some folks could perceive what’s happening as a form of quid-pro-quo, pay-to-play politics at the local level.
More to Come
Events over the weeks and months to come will ultimately determine whether or not the city council in Barstow approves a supercenter for cannabis.
Critics of this have taken to social media to weigh in with their thoughts on why this ought to be nipped in the bud now.
Thieves steal more than $500,000 of marijuana in California…pic.twitter.com/CbjIjFslvA
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 1, 2023
However, if this project ultimately succeeds, Barstow will bring in a lot of money from the businesses responsible for cultivation, retail, manufacturing, and more. All things considered, it is a very real possibility that the almighty dollar will win in the end.
Do you believe it’s a good idea for Barstow, California to create a cannabis supercenter? Will this have a positive or negative impact on the community? Please let us know what you make of this in the comments area.
This article appeared in Watch Dog News and has been published here with permission.
