Pot to hurt the poor

I am very concerned about the recent article outlining where pot shops will be allowed. It struck me that the areas chosen are some of our most impoverished areas.

The children who grow up in these neighborhoods are already disadvantaged by the schools they attend, which receive less tax money than those in richer neighborhoods; parents who are struggling in poverty; and a bombardment of alcohol advertisements and outlets. Now, we want to plaster their neighborhoods with pot shops?

Children in poverty are more likely to use marijuana and to initiate use early. In addition, early initiation of marijuana has been linked to an eight-point drop in IQ by the time they reach adulthood, further exacerbating the generational poverty loop they are involved in.

Essentially, this map says the Spokane City Council doesn’t care about these neighborhoods. It’s interesting to me that few places on the South Hill are approved for a pot shop. My guess is because the City Council and other important Spokane figures live in those nice, wealthy neighborhoods and don’t want their property values to decline.

Martina Coordes

Spokane