“Parents are fearful of letting their children out of their house,” Akers said.
READ: Teen Accused Of Attacking Elderly Sikh Man In Court
Akers does not support the legal sale of marijuana, at least not in her disadvantaged Oak Park neighborhood, but city leaders plan to help ex-felons bring it to an empty storefront near her, without paying thousands of dollars in permit fees.
“Now that it’s been decriminalized we want to be able to also reap the benefits,” said Rashid Sidqe.
Sidqe is referring to minorities recently restricted from getting into the booming pot business, whether it’s because of their capital or drug convictions.
“The same people who have imprisoned us are now the same ones who are taking advantage of the decriminalization of marijuana,” he said.
Down the street, one of Oak Park’s leading Pastors, Anthony Sadler said, “it’s kind of ironic… I have a hard time just accepting that rationale.”
Sadler fears bringing a “controlled substance” into a neighborhood with a history of it, is a repeat of the past.
ALSO: Nelson Fire Along Interstate 80 In Fairfield Prompts Evacuations
“Same thing we see outside liquor stores, people hanging out. Wasting their days. No motivation to pursue employment,” he said.
Despite the controversy, similar so-called “equity programs” are popping up across the state.
Cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, and now Sacramento think high-crime neighborhoods can benefit from California’s cannabis gold rush.
Resetting the clock on the war on drugs, at least for weed.
The city of Sacramento’s “pot czar” didn’t return our request for comment on this story.
The idea is not bad but could be more beneficial if the old-time offenders were fish-baited to join the medical marijuana stream. That way, the state could add to its exchequer and promote the well-being of the millions side by side. Their entry into the medical marijuana market would impact the medical marijuana supplies & the prices as well, Thousands of people who are relying upon medical marijuana and are getting recommendations from reputed clinics like Online Medical Card for recovering from critical & life-threatening conditions like cancers, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Aids etc. would benefit from their entry.