Letters: No need for new pot brownie legislation

Childproof packages

“Pot brownies can kill toddlers. It’s time for childproof cannabis packaging law” (sacbee.com, Feb. 8): There’s no need for new legislation about pot brownies. California already requires that all cannabis edibles be sold in childproof packaging. Although an overdose of pot edibles can indeed cause unconsciousness, cannabis has never been known to cause a fatal overdose — unlike tobacco, alcohol, and many other common household products that are not sold in childproof packages.

Time to act

“Climate change is a health emergency. Let’s act like it” (sacbee.com, Feb.10): This “call” must also include solutions to keep polluters from adding tons of carbon dioxide every minute of the day. The science is very clear: We need to act now! A bill has been introduced in Congress, HR 763, and if passed it would curtail the amount of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere. Support this bill. It is revenue-neutral and will return dividends to the citizens. This is a real solution for our health and well-being.

Times have changed

“Did someone kill the Shasta Pack, California’s mysterious wolf family?” (sacbee.com, Feb. 01): It’s critical that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife pursue this investigation to ensure the integrity of state law. It’s hard to imagine having the privilege of living in such a beautiful environment and wanting the wildlife that surrounds you to be killed. The Shasta Pack wasn’t even allowed to live for one year. Ranchers need to realize that they are living in the 21st century. Maybe it’s time to demand ethical ranching that co-exists with its environment instead of exterminating it.

What went wrong?

“Left on patio in wheelchair, retired Marine died of heat stroke at Roseville care facility, lawsuit says” (sacbee.com, Feb. 10): Gene Rogers and his family paid $5,540 a month for a room in an assisted living facility, but because it was so understaffed he was left outside on a porch on a hot summer day and died? What’s wrong with this picture? That amount of money a month isn’t enough to hire enough staff to ensure that this doesn’t happen? Whomever owns the business needs to be held accountable!

To arms, citizens!

“They’re big, furry and could destroy the Delta. California has a $2 million plan to kill them” (sacbee.com, Feb. 11): The nutria poses an imminent threat to the San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem. You shouldn’t need permission to trap or kill one of these rodents on private property. Property owners should be encouraged to kill these rodents on sight and report it afterward. Let people who frequent the Delta know they can kill any nutria they see if procedure is followed. It should be open season on these rodents.

Larger consequences ahead

“Gov. Newsom must mop up Brown’s water mess” (sacbee.com, Feb. 05): Jonas Minton is correct. However, he ignores other almost certain outcomes of the deal. For example, the continued decimation of the fishing industry, both commercial and recreational, with tens of thousands of lost jobs and tens of millions in lost income. He also ignores the increased salinity of Delta farmland from where the freshwater is being taken, creating more losses. In a broader sense, we are talking about the collapse of an entire ecosystem in the San Francisco Bay Delta region. All this so we can export more overproduced agricultural goods, including almonds, to China and elsewhere.