Public Safety: Failure of Legalization and the Rise of Disorder

The push for legalization has resulted in a chaotic landscape where illegal operators thrive at the expense of public safety. Under the Democratic leadership, the city has been forced to shut down over 1,300 illegal smoke shops that were unlawfully selling cannabis, often targeting children. Despite these efforts, drug offenses remain a stubborn outlier in crime statistics; while other categories reportedly declined, drug offenses actually increased by 7% in 2025. This “atmosphere of anything…