The state of California is set to legalize the sale of recreational cannabis in January, so naturally, there are plenty of questions regarding regulation, distribution and overall consumption of the plant. Unsurprisingly, there is an existing demographic of California citizens who aren’t quite sold on the move, despite its measured success in other West Coast states like Colorado, Nevada and Washington.
During a recent city council meeting in Colfax, California regarding a potential ban on marijuana dispensaries come January, when recreational sales become legal, one could say things got a little heated.
Or at least, one person got a little heated.
No Filter
The outburst from Colfax Mayor pro tem Tony Hesch, was recorded last week, and it wasn’t long before it made its way onto the internet.
“[Marijuana advocates] are the same people who have wasted our freaking time for the last three years,” Hesch declared the meeting.
As the city council continued discussing whether or not to allow marijuana dispensaries back into the city upon the legalization of recreational pot, Mark Younggren, one of the several attendees hoping to open up a local dispensary, openly questioned the council’s stance, in addition to interrupting Hesch several times.
It’s safe to say Hesch was not having it.
The interim mayor then became so infuriated with Younggren’s defiance, that he slammed his fist on the table and hurled expletives at the Colfax citizen.
“I was the one speaking, you idiot,” Hesch yelled. “Don’t you get it? You shut the (expletive) up when somebody is talking.”
In an interview with the local FOX news team, Younggren didn’t appear all that surprised by Hesch’s unprofessional demeanor.
“I was but I kind of wasn’t, because I’ve seen him get mad before,” Younggren said.
Final Hit: California Mayor Curses Out Marijuana Advocate
Younggren also claimed Hesch also accused marijuana dispensary owners of only caring about money, not the well-being of other people. While money certainly plays a factor into the decision of any business owner, it’s impossible to predict the individual motives of each and every aspiring dispensary runner.
Besides, would capitalizing on the profitability of recreational cannabis really be such a heinous crime?
For example, in 2016 alone, Colorado dispensaries sold $1.3 billion worth of recreational and medical pot, which raked in about a half of billion dollars in tax revenue for the state. Colorado then used close to 51 percent of the accumulated tax revenue towards K-12 education, with $117.9 million of said earnings used to fund school construction projects. While the legal cannabis industry is without a doubt a burgeoning cash cow, it has proven to be beneficial to both business owners and the state.
When asked if he expects an apology from Hesch anytime soon, Younggren simply laughed off the question.
“No, not at all,” Younggren said with a smile.
