In reading the Sept. 5 front-page article, “City to follow state’s lead on marijuana requirements” (Auburn Reporter), we felt it necessary to clarify that not all City Councilmembers voted to terminate the extended moratorium.

We – Councilmembers Bill Peloza and Rich Wagner, deputy mayor – voted no on Ordinance 6525, calling for the City to follow state regulations regarding permitting, production, processing and/or retail outlets and sales of marijuana, and terminating the moratorium implemented on Sept. 16, 2013.

Reasons for voting no and extending the moratorium at least six months were:

• Too many uncertainties at this time – state and federal laws

• Let’s see what may happen with the 2014/2015 state Legislature

• The people’s vote was not a significant mandate – very close, some citizens say, “If I knew what I know now, I would have voted against I-502”

• No municipal sales tax return – the state keeps it all

• Law enforcement will require more funds for marijuana misuse – treated as an unfunded mandate on the City budget

• Pot vs. alcohol impairment – what’s the difference?

• Conflicts in state law

The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area organization recently published a 151-page document regarding Colorado’s recreational marijuana use. The executive summary, in part, says this about the impacts of marijuana in Colorado since its legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012, and since its limited legalization of medical marijuana was greatly expanded by the courts in 2006:

• Impaired driving

• Fatalities have increased 100 percent from 2007-2013

• Arrests – 25-40 percent were from pot use

• Toxicology reports for pot use have increased 16 percent from 2011-2013

• In 2012, youth usage of pot was 10.47 percent compared to 7.55 percent nationally

• Hospitalizations related to pot have increased 82 percent from 2008-2013

• Related exposure for children 0-5 years old has increased 268 percent from 2006-2013 to triple the national average.

• Crime has increased 6.7 percent in Denver – first six months in 2014

• Pets poisoned from ingesting pot has increased four-fold in the past 6 years.

With these significant impacts likely to also occur in the state of Washington, and until the state comes up with much better ways of dealing with these impacts, we feel it is very premature to allow recreational marijuana sales in Auburn, even though a majority of citizens voted for the initiative legalizing it.

– Councilmember Bill Peloza and Deputy Mayor Rich Wagner