Church to council: Keep cannabis out of Tracy
Dear City Councilmembers and members of the community, We are very thankful for the longstanding traditional family values that have been at the core of Tracy and the surrounding area. In 2023, our state government approved recreational marijuana—something that remains illegal federally—which is now beginning to roll out across the state. We believe that it would be unwise to allow cannabis businesses into Tracy for several reasons, but first some background.
There is currently a contingent offer on the old Dairy Queen building on Highway 14 from a company out of California that reportedly intends to use the building as a cannabis dispensary. Previously, the Tracy City Council adopted the policy of Lyon County after the state legalization occurred. The Lyon County ordinance allows up to one cannabis dispensary per 12,500 residents. When the purchase offer for the old DQ building emerged, the county was unable to grant a license since they had already issued the two available licenses allowed under Minnesota’s population guidelines.
This could have been a conclusive outcome and would have protected our community from having a cannabis business at the center of the busiest area of Tracy; however, the City Council is considering going back to change the ordinance they previously adopted in order to override the county’s limitation. This is an allowable option for local municipalities, but demonstrates that our city leadership intends to go out of its way to consider bringing cannabis businesses to our town. While there may be some potential upsides for the city when considering additional tax revenue, an improved building, and generally more traffic, the downsides far outweigh these potential benefits. Here are some of our concerns.
1. Actively choosing to bring cannabis businesses to Tracy will no doubt affect the town’s reputation. Historically, we have had family values at our core, and this decision would mark a departure from those values. This could have the long-term effect of driving away families and those who want to live in a town with traditional values and instead attract those who may want to have cannabis within walking distance, in addition to those who will drive to our town specifically for cannabis.
2. Studies from Colorado and other states show that increased access to cannabis can proportionally increase the frequency of intoxicated driving and higher crime (e.g., a 2019 University of Colorado study linked dispensaries to crime rate increases of 26-1,452% in some categories; a 2015 NIH study found a 6.8% rise in marijuana-related hospitalizations per additional dispensary per square mile). Additionally, cannabis use can correlate with progression to harder drugs that cause permanent brain damage and hospitalizations.
Recreational use is very different from medical cannabis, which is overseen by a doctor and prescribed if applicable; modern recreational products are far more potent, with THC levels rising from about 4% in 1995 to 17% or higher today (per NIH and Yale Medicine data), heightening risks like addiction and psychosis.
3. From a faith perspective, the Bible teaches that we should not be promoting substances that lead to addiction and dependency. We are to be sober-minded and strive to encourage one another in healthy living (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:1920; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:7). There is no evidence that shows that using mind-altering substances leads to longterm prosperity and well-being, both physically and spiritually.
We sincerely appreciate the service of the Tracy City Councilmembers and respectfully request that consideration of this ordinance be halted immediately at the meeting on January 26 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. If any ordinance change is considered, we would ask that a permanent ban on cannabis businesses be adopted toprotect the long-term well-being of our town and surrounding community. We encourage those who share our perspective to attend the meeting to respectfully share our concerns this coming Monday at 6 p.m. Please come 10 minutes early. Thank you for considering our perspective.
THE ELDERS OF TRACY BIBLE CHURCH (FORMERLY TRACY ALLIANCE CHURCH) BEN SAHLSTROM, AL SCHMIDT, DOUG ZEUG, BARRY NELSON, SAM SAHLSTROM, THOR BURNTVEDT
