Yesterday, during a Fort Carson Town Hall meeting at the DoubleTree Hotel, Terrance McWilliams, El Pomar Foundation's director of military and veterans affairs, told the crowd of roughly 150 people that recreational retail sales made possible by the voter-approved Amendment 64 would place the military in "serious jeopardy of being moved out of this area." "If we really care about maintaining a strong military presence, you need to be standing before City Council against recreational marijuana," he said. "It's a serious issue that we all need to be taking a hard look at." Mayor Steve Bach has previously stated the community could see its military presence go down the toilet if retail sales are approved. He's also said at a community meeting that the plant can wipe out young people's memories forever. On Tuesday, several retired generals showed up at the Council meeting to deliver the same message - that recreational marijuana undermines the military's stalwart value of good order and discipline. (Council will hold a public hearing June 27, a work session July 8, and make a decision on July 28, according to Council President Keith King.) McWilliams made his statements as part of the panel discussion about Fort Carson's future. After the panel discussion ended and as people headed for a social-hour gathering, we asked another panel member, Maj. Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the 4th Infantry Division at Carson, to elaborate on how retail sales would lead to the loss of the military's presence here. We asked him if he was offended when people said recreational marijuana stores would threaten Carson soldiers, the insinuation being that soldiers are so undisciplined that they wouldn't be able to resist marijuana when available in retail stores. "Am I worried about their ability to resist?" he replied. "I never really looked at it that way. I look at it as, well, it's against federal law. I'm a federal institution. It's a concern that family members who can smoke it off post and then make the mistake of bringing it on post on federal property. They can't bring it on Fort Carson." Although Carson's gates provide security, LaCamera said he doesn't want to "shake everybody down" as they enter. "I think it just goes against good order and discipline," he says. "It's against federal law." The Military Times did a story about how installations will deal with the laws in Washington and Colorado. A McClatchy article also discusses what President Obama's administration will do in response to the Colorado and Washington voter-approved recreational pot laws. There's no mention in either article of Washington officials fearing the loss of military installations because of the pot laws there. But it's worth noting that six of nine Springs City Council members are ex-military: Val Snider, Joel Miller, Don Knight, Jill Gaebler, Andy Pico and Helen Collins. Miller, Knight and Pico have said they oppose allowing retail sales. Gaebler and Collins have said they won't reverse the will of voters, who approved Amendment 64 by a decisive margin in the city. And Snider and Jan Martin have said they're supportive of regulating recreational marijuana. Council President Keith King and President Pro Tem Merv Bennett haven't publicly declared their intentions, but King embraced an endorsement from Tom Gallagher, who dropped out of the race and backed King before the April election. Gallagher's support came almost exclusively from the medical marijuana industry. El Paso County imposed its own ban on shops in unincorporated areas months ago. http://www.csindy.com/IndyBlog/archives/2013/05/31/military-and-marijuana-the-odd-couple
""Mayor Steve Bach has previously stated the community could see its military presence go down the toilet if retail sales are approved. He's also said at a community meeting that the plant can wipe out young people's memories forever."" I certainly hope the citizens of Fort Carson elected the Mayor because he is a good politician because his knowledge on marijuana is lacking too much for him to comment to the public on it's dangers or health risks.. I have never heard even our government claim marijuana erases anyone's memory so perhaps he can get on with the feds in the "Dream shit up squad". """I think it just goes against good order and discipline," he says. "It's against federal law.""" Another late comer to the party that thinks CO and WA just jumped up out of the blue and arbitrarily passes a law just because they alone wanted too,,apparently he is just as in the dark as congress seems to be,,A CLEAR MAJORITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS SUPPORT LEGALIZATON Major LaCamera and we are changing the law as fast as we can so you don't have to shake everybody down,,dumbass.
I just have to clarify: It's still the people smoking the weed that are going crazy, right? Just had to be sure. Hard to tell these days...
LOL I don't know moving,closing bases cost money... If anything they'll start talking more and more about Zero Tolerance now, and will emphasize on Marijuana just as much as Alcohol. It was like that when Spice got big...atleast in Navy towns. Alcohol will still be the military's drug of choice lol.
It would cost tens of millions of dollars to move a military base... It's not gonna happen. Plus we all know they have bunkers in the mountains . They won't leave those vacant for the growers to take over ...
The main reason why they are doing this is b/c higher number of solders that will piss hot every week. ''We asked him if he was offended when people said recreational marijuana stores would threaten Carson soldiers, the insinuation being that soldiers are so undisciplined that they wouldn't be able to resist marijuana when available in retail stores. "Am I worried about their ability to resist?" he replied. "I never really looked at it that way. I look at it as, well, it's against federal law. I'm a federal institution. It's a concern that family members who can smoke it off post and then make the mistake of bringing it on post on federal property.'' This guy is a f-in idiot
It shouldn't be illegal in the first place, so they can take it up with congress. To all of you that think marijuana should be illegal, GO PHUCK YOURSELVES.
The central conflict remains the federal opposition. The US Military directly reflects upon the consensous of the US Government. Unfortunately for all of those who wear the uniform, but aren't authrorized to be particularly free. There's always an outer marker of being the "model citizen" when in the military. Whether or not there will be a debate on the intoxicant type, after the plants is ligalized will remain to be seen. However, as long as it can jeopardize the lives and careers of the people wearing the uniform, I would strongly advise to just wait out their term. Whether or not we agree with the laws in place at the moment, No soldier, sailor, airman, or marine should wager their security clearance, honorable discharge, rank, or paycheck in the grey areas of public acceptance and government prohibition. By all means, focus on the logic, acheive these goals first and then when finished, live a long green life. For those who are in the forefront of the nation's ledges of authority. Don't aggitate the issue, it's designed to strike enemies and its own kind alike. Military Police and Defense Security don't care and will earn their stripes on those who do not separate duty and recreation. Until it is federally legal, military needs to take dilligence in not letting years of patriotic service be unfairly tarnished by the institutional misunderstanding of our plant.
Why does a town that is smack in the middle of the country need a military presence at all? When China finally invades are they going straight to the shitty small towns in the Midwest? "Fuck Washington DC. We gotta take fort Carson!"
You need open space to practice your war games. Easier to assilimate the soldiers somewhat "removed" from society as well.
Sadly, the government now testing for alcohol just shows how eager they are to rip away these potential benefits from soldiers. It really doesn't matter what it is, really. If they want to fuck you over, they will.
It would appear to be that way, but the matter is that there are over 450,000 American Citizens serving in uniform. Military strategy has proven itself over the ages. Just as many of us love the plant, there are an equal amount of people that don't require the use of the plat whatsoever. The military community will always restrict how available or allowing the policies to do with intoxicants and risky behavior. They will continue to monitor and preserve their ranks as clean as possible, for combat effectiveness and instill a level of discipline, that makes our military amongst the most advanced in the world. Some career paths are attained only by taking the military/federal route. Just manage to keep your habits to one's self while understanding moderation and appreciating recreation. It is just a matter of time, before someone gets a wrench thrown in their way if they try to mix the two together.
I don't see what the big deal is...it'll be like how alcohol is...there will be a couple of young servicemen..most likely under 21 making a dumb decision and will smoke weed. The ones that wanna risk getting caught and fucking up their discharge will smoke and there are the ones that wait till they get out to smoke. Nothing new..
guess terry accidentally left out the fact that our military personnel are happy to guard opium fields in Afghanistan though, what fucking retarded old fool, but a well paid off propaganda machine he is.
Or pesky details like Afghanistan becoming #1 world Cannabis producer under the U.S. military's watchful eye. LOL!