Regarding the issue of pot shops in Federal Way, I have a few comments to make. While I have spoken out against them at two City Council meetings, I feel the subject is important enough to use every avenue to broadcast my fears. There are many reasons it is a bad idea:
• We are sending the wrong message to our youth. Allowing those shops would say to them it is legal so it must not be dangerous to our health. Wrong. Marijuana tests have proven that pot kills brain cells and is especially dangerous for youth. It is addictive and it is a gateway drug, meaning most pot smokers go on to experiment with other drugs, and most end up full-blown drug addicts with no future.
• As more and more people indulge, it will increase the crime in Federal Way and it will cause more accidents on our roads.
• Pot shops will add more to the laziness factor and they would only add to the number of addicts already residing in our city. Do we really want to attract more?
• Smoking marijuana is still against federal law and we are not mandated to bring pot shops to our cities.
• It will continue to create a negative image of Federal Way. You have all heard the different unflattering names people call our city. Has it ever occurred to you why? It is largely because of the number of drug addicts who live here and the ensuing crime drug addiction causes. I, personally, have had my home broken into and my family heirlooms and valuables stolen seven times over the 40 years I have lived here.
How many of you have those same sad stories? Saying no to pot shops would say to the world that we still have half a brain, we are better than that, we are smarter than that. Meanwhile, the Federal Way police force should zero in on the illegal drug problems in our city instead of arresting innocent old women.
The reasons given for wanting to bring marijuana stores to Federal Way don’t hold water for me. Those who would promote usage are users themselves. The rest are city officials who are looking at the possibility that the city would glean revenue eventually and/or they are politicians running for office. In either case, their thinking is skewed. Fifty-three percent of Federal Way residents voted for pot shops. How many of them are addicts? If 100 percent voted for it, I would still caution against it.
You can call me anything you want, folks, but I am adamant. I’ve lived too many years with drugs in my immediate family. Drugs ruin families. Drugs cause domestic violence. Drugs cause laziness and unemployment. Drugs cause brain damage. As a parent, I did everything I could to keep them away from my family to no avail. There are too many bad people out there pushing drugs. And, now, my beloved Federal Way seems to want to push them as well.
Sheryl Nevers, Federal Way
