Readers of this column know that I’ve spent a little time in politics. After having worked four presidential campaigns, scores of U.S. Senate and governorship races, and hundreds of congressional campaigns, I felt comfortable thinking I had pretty much seen it all from my perch in Washington, D.C. 

Then I moved to Jefferson County.

It turns out we have a candidate on the November 6 ballot who is against efforts to prevent kids from getting involved with drugs, marijuana to be specific. We’re not talking about a casual indifference to making it less appealing to children. This candidate is explicitly opposed to such efforts and he’s asking other people to lobby against child safety proposals. 

After hearing politicians lecture us for decades about how thus-and-such must be done, ‘for the children,’ Jefferson County has a candidate who is actively engaged in fighting proposals to advance the health and safety of youngsters. It is impossible to imagine any context in which opposition to keeping kids away from drugs would not disqualify a political candidate from holding office. 

The candidate is Greg Brotherton, who is running for the District 3 seat on the Board of County Commissioners. He owns the Sea Change cannabis shop in Discovery Bay and promotes his small business experience as a qualification for office. There’s nothing wrong with owning a cannabis store; it’s perfectly legal and such enterprises are proving to be a considerable source of tax revenue for Washington state. 

There’s also been a bit of buzz on social media over Greg’s promotional cannabis video in which he smokes from a bong. The judgment and maturity of this videograhic escapade, produced while Greg was serving on the Quilcene School Board, is debatable. It also suggests a pattern of seeking a nexus between kids and his business. It’s problematic, but not necessarily disqualifying. I then happened upon an October 11 blog post on his cannabis store’s website. I had to read it several times because I could not believe what I was seeing. The post reads, in part:

Here’s more on the State of Washington’s recent seemingly random idea to disallow previously approved edibles due to their potential appeal to children.  According to Marijuana Business Daily,  “During a Wednesday meeting, the state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) announced ‘all production of hard candy, tarts, fruit chews, colorful chocolates, jellies and any gummy type products should cease’ because they would not qualify to be sold under new regulations that take effect Jan. 1.”

Greg’s website laments, “In my opinion this is a terrible thing to do.” The post then encourages customers to lobby the LCB with the rhetorical question, “Wouldn’t it be nice if a few customer comments made them reconsider.  Feel free to contact the LCB and let them know how you feel about this ban.” The post concludes with the postscript, “UPDATE:  Just as I was about to send this I read an email from the Liquor Control Board (sic) announcing a 30 day pause as they consider input and alternatives posited by stakeholders. YAY!” 

I don’t know about your family but my kid loves gummies and fruit chews so it’s not unreasonable to not want them infused with cannabis. But Greg is taking a page from Big Tobacco’s playbook to groom the next generation of customers. (Remember candy cigarettes?) His cannabis store celebrates delays in issuing tougher child safety regulations, enjoins others to lobby against them, and dismisses child safety efforts. It’s a struggle to figure out what might account for a politician to hold such a position but there are clues. 

The website 502 Data, which tracks sales and taxes at Washington state cannabis stores, shows that sales at Greg’s store have fallen more than 67% in the past three years. America is experiencing the greatest economic boom in 50 years yet Greg’s business has managed to lose two-thirds of its revenue. With sales dropping like a rock, there is a strong profit motive to encourage the next generation of users. It’s greedy and cynical, but understandable as a means of ensuring Greg’s profits. 

The Washington state Healthy Youth Survey found that Illegal marijuana use among Jefferson County high school sophomores is 76% higher than the state average. But this alarming data point appears to be lost in the campaign launched by Greg’s cannabis shop to derail new child safety regulations for marijuana. How does this not disqualify a politician from any elective office? 

The Port Townsend power structure is hoping you don’t see this. If you do, they’re hoping you don’t care about it. After dictating policy to the rural parts of Jefferson County for so long, the Port Townsend political elites are betting that you are so indifferent to the health and safety of your kids that you would vote for a candidate who stands to profit by opposing measures to make marijuana less attractive to minor children, simply because he has a ‘D’ next to his name. 

Is this the Jefferson County you want? The choice is yours. 

Scott Hogenson

Scott Hogenson is a prize-winning journalist who has been a member of the academic staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he lectured in the School of Journalism and served as managing editor for the Wisconsin Public Radio News Network. Scott has also been a contributing editor for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., a broadcast editor for United Press International, and a news director for radio stations in Virginia and Texas.