Vote doesn’t mean we have to have retail outlets in Fairhaven
The moratorium deadline for the Town of Fairhaven to decide if they want to have retail “recreational” outlets selling marijuana to adult consumers is currently December 31, 2018. The MA Attorney General will extend that deadline for 6 months if asked. A petition for this purpose is underway even though the planning board voted 5-3 not to extend the moratorium. They are now making plans for the By-Law to accommodate up to three retail outlets and determine where these outlets will be situated. They assume that because marijuana was legalized in MA that we want recreational marijuana in our town. This is an erroneous assumption.
MA has allowed towns to decide if they want retail outlets, but that vote was never put on the ballot in Fairhaven. Thus, a second petition is underway to request that the selectmen put it on the April ballot at the town elections and let voters decide for themselves. Many of our neighboring towns have voted not to allow recreational sales in their towns. MA gives each town the option to decide for itself and we should not be duped into thinking that because it is now legal that we must sell it in our town.
The state-wide vote to legalize Marijuana, I believe, was a vote to decriminalize it so that current users, many of whom are addicted, would not be at risk of a criminal record and jail time for possession. That vote does not reflect that we want to normalize, sanction, and promote sales in our town. Sales outlets don’t have to be foisted on communities that don’t want it.
One has only to review the report of the National Institute of Health in its drug advisory website (https:// www.drugabuse.gov/publications/ drugfacts/marijuana. June 22, 2018.) to see the litany of detrimental effects both physical and mental; short and long term: breathing problems and a higher risk of lung infections; increased heart rate which may increase the chance of heart attack; pregnant adults’ risk having babies with low birth weight and increased brain and behavioral problems.
Second-hand Marijuana smoke produces dangerous toxins and tar that affects others especially vulnerable people like children, the elderly, and people with asthma.
Moreover, the effects of normalizing the use of Marijuana puts the whole community at risk. We know that driving under the influence of Marijuana compromises clear thinking and slows reaction time which greatly impairs the ability to operate a motor vehicle responsibly.
Knowing the undeniability of these ill effects, how can we possibly justify having so-called “recreational” retail shops in our community?
If you are concerned about the normalization of this substance, the damaging example it sets for our youth, and the endorsement and seeming acquiescence by our government — here’s what YOU can do about it:
• Contact the Town Administrator and the Board of Selectmen’s Office and tell them you want a binding vote on this issue on the April town election ballot, 508 979-4023 Ext. 2
• Sign the petitions to extend the moratorium and have a referendum vote on the April town election ballot. Contact Bernie Roderick at Bernard_Roderick@msn.com
• Attend the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, October 9, at 6:30 in the Town Hall’s Banquet Room regarding the proposed Marijuana Zoning Bylaw.
Yes, Marijuana is legal in MA but that doesn’t mean we have to lay the foundation for the growth of “recreational” drug sales in Fairhaven.
Cathy Delano, Concerned Fairhaven Resident
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