Tourism business-owner and former Guam Visitors Bureau Chairman Mark Baldyga is leading the push to keep the use and sale of marijuana out of the Tumon visitor district.

He appeared on today's Link show with Cannabis Control Board member Will Parkinson, who pushed back against the idea. Parkinson says while there's no plan to allow for public consumption of pot, he suggests the proposed ban was anti-business.

Baldyga: It's not anti-capitalism, it's about protecting the community to some extent. In this case the tourism.

Parkinson: So is what you're suggesting that you're going to move all the bars, and strip clubs and massage parlors and sex places out of Tumon?

Baldyga: I'm suggesting that's a dialogue we should have. We've been having it off and on for 10 years. When I authored the tourism 2020 plan it was one of the key suggestions. We haven't done it, we didn't really have the political wherewithal to do it, but frankly I think it's the right thing to do. 


Baldyga says he's not against an adult entertainment zone, but not in Tumon. He argues Guam has built its reputation as a wholesome, family-friendly vacation destination. Parkinson pushed back on that too...

Parkinson: I reject the framing that cannabis is not family-friendly. I mean we have to think about what cannabis is. Cannabis is being legalized all over the country. South Korea's feelings on marijuana are changing so is Japan's. and we've had organizations like JMMA looking to Guam to fulfill their need for medical tourism. I mean we have to think about what cannabis is. Cannabis is being legalized all over the country.

The Cannabis Control Board is seeking input on proposed rules and regulations. Again, there's no current proposal to allow for public consumption, but Baldyga says he wanted to be proactive in expressing the tourism industry's position that it would oppose pot sales and use in hotel zones.