All Pro, No Con?

Many in Santa Barbara County are scratching their heads, wondering why the Independent’s Cannabis Corner carries only pro-cannabis content. Even restaurant and wine reviews offer both the positive and the negative.

We understand that the paper depends upon advertisers, and cannabis is likely high on the list.

Nevertheless, the recent Ganja Gift Guide by “Barbara Verde” (who runs a website promoting cannabis products) reads as product placement, masked as editorial. It is troubling to learn that Barbara Verde is a fake name. We mention this because too many critics of the county’s industrial-level cannabis cultivation have been attacked, both publicly and privately, yet are not afforded the same privilege of anonymity by your paper.

Still, quite a few brave souls have been submitting letters and columns on the adverse impacts of mass-marijuana grows in our county. Often, these are ignored or do not make it into print. Case in point is A.L. Bardach’s wickedly funny satire “A Modest Proposal,” which ran only online despite being written by a prize-winning national journalist. Huh?

Is the message that those who take issue with Santa Barbara County being the country’s pot capital need to take out paid ads to get equal coverage? You have an opportunity to make your Cannabis Corner a genuine journalistic offering by simply alternating pro and con columns.

Instead, we have to depend upon the national media to learn about the numerous negative impacts of mass cannabis proliferation. Why not in the Cannabis Corner?