When a deputy city attorney talks about a lack of political will to go after smoke shops, I have to wonder what’s going on at City Hall (“Warning distributed to area smoke shops,” Beacon, April 3, page 12).
I’ve met Makinne Hammond, and she is a highly motivated, articulate person, very available to work on community crime issues here at the beach. So, I was floored to hear her quoted in your paper as saying “… but I don’t know if there is the political will to go after marijuana.”
For crying out loud, between Pacific Beach and Mission Beach there are 11 of the damn things; that’s 20 percent of the total for the entire city! Smoke shops are an eyesore and common sense would tell you that they contribute to the high number of drug problems in our community.
Let’s not be naive; a bong is not for tobacco and the proprietors know it. As for “political will,” the PB Planning Board, Town Council and Business Improvement District (Discover PB) have all contacted their elected officials to complain about smoke shops.
What is this if it’s not an expression of political will?
Instead of sending warning letters, how about some prosecution?
Let’s find out in court whether the “doofus defense” (“Gee, we don’t know whether this stuff is used for inhaling illegal drugs”) tried by these shop proprietors will hold up in court.