Letters: Pot dispensaries will be blight on a fine city

Our family has made Elgin our home since 1969. We've enjoyed all the good things about it: solid schools, dedicated teachers, beautiful parks with great playground equipment and a golf course. We have both a community college and a Christian University here, as well. Good restaurants have been a draw for many over the years. We are not without our charitable organizations; Wayside Cross helps the homeless, as well. City services are second to none. Police and fire departments are reliable. Roads and sewers are well maintained. We have a nice variety of older homes on tree-lined streets and newer homes, as well. There are many good reasons to live here.

However, what a disappointment it was to recently read in the Herald, two weeks in a row, that Elgin will soon offer two marijuana dispensaries to the public. Marijuana is a drug. Legalizing it doesn't lessen its negative impact on the lives of people who use it. Marijuana use can open the door to other hare-core drugs. We are giving tacit approval to substance abuse by approving these dispensaries. How could our city permit this. Money drove this decision. I am appalled. I believe this is a bad decision that needs to be reconsidered.

Just because Pritzker ok'd this, it doesn't make it the best way to provide revenue for our city. I'd rather pay higher taxes that have this black mark on our record. How is a child supposed to say no to drugs if his/her parents are sitting in their house smoking pot that they purchased from a dispensary?

Elgin has a reputation to uphold. She is the sixth largest city in Illinois. U46 Schools represent the second largest school district in Illinois. Our family and other families like ours think of Elgin as home. This is where we relax at night. We come home from work and eat dinner here. We celebrate holidays and birthdays here with family. We cut our lawns. We maintain our homes and property values.

Our city fathers need to reconsider this decision as it's not in the best interest of our community. Keep marijuana dispensaries and their potential for greater drug use out of Elgin.

Carole Peto

Elgin