Editor:

I am extremely disappointed to see the NCJ ("It's Watson for the Interim," July 27) and its usually highly competent reporter Linda Stansberry give Steve Watson an unchallenged venue to present a completely non-tested theory: "... that many of the homeless and transient people in Eureka were attracted to the area by the pot industry ... ."

We would love to conduct scientific studies to test urban-legend "theories" such as this but governmental, law enforcement and media hostility to our region's largest multibillion-dollar industry is such that funding opportunities for large-scale social science research projects are severely constrained.

The Journal/Stansberry should have tempered this Trumpian-level rant with sources working with the homeless or in the industry. Faculty such as myself at Humboldt State University's Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research is readily available for comment, if all else fails. Considering the high level of ad revenue the Journal receives from cannabis-related businesses, it is the least the citizens of Humboldt should expect.

Fred Krissman, Eureka