Now that marijuana has been legalized, there are questions about what it might look like here in East Greenwich.
The state commission will be designating where in 6 zones the 24 pot shops will go (there are medical marijuana dispensaries in Providence, Warwick and Portsmouth now, with six more in the planning stages). Each community is an “opt in” for a shop unless it holds a referendum and local voters decide they do not want one. There are financial repercussions. If a community says it does not want a marijuana store in their community, they will not receive any revenue from the state tax on marijuana sales. All other communities will get some of the tax receipts, with an additional 3 percent for those communities that actually end up with a store.
The Town Council will be discussing whether or not to put a referendum on the November ballot at their meeting Monday, June 13, according to Mark Schwager. They will also address possible zoning changes.
“Do nothing and we are automatically in the pool for potential recipients of a license but that doesn’t mean the community will get a license,” said Town Manager Andy Nota. “The greatest amount of revenue comes to communities with a store in your town.”
East Greenwich could vote against having a store, he said, but “we’re a little, tiny state. We have neighbors really close by. We’re going to be affected no matter what. The result of it being everywhere else in the state, we’re still going to have the challenges.”
The town’s drug and youth counselor, Bob Houghtaling, framed the town’s decision as a moral issue.
“Do you want to benefit financially from situations that haven’t been fully thought out?” he said. To the argument that they are selling it in Warwick so why not sell it in East Greenwich, he said,
“That’s like saying, if you’re a parent, and Mrs. Johnson’s going to allow the drinking party, are you going to do it to be the cool one? I think you stand for something.”
Houghtaling said he is glad to see the decriminalization of marijuana, noting the vast numbers of people, often people of color, who have been incarcerated for pot-related offenses over the years. But, he said, “I think we rushed [legalization] a little bit by not factoring in additional safety measures. Some of the major concerns I have about marijuana is highway safety and a minimization of its potency and some of the messages it gives young people.”
While he acknowledges drunk driving remains a serious problem, he said at least there were ways to measure if a person has been drinking. “The highway safety thing really scares me a little bit because there’s no measurement to test impairment.”
He pushes back against the idea that pot is innocuous.
“Any time you have to use the word ‘recreation’ and it includes a drug, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It’s almost like thinking alcohol is going to promote happiness with happy hours.”
Houghtaling said gummies in particular were troubling.
“The whole notion of gummies and this innocuous packaging. It’s almost like going to Yellowstone Park and playing with the bears and not recognizing the danger,” he said. “That’s going to be one of the challenges for communities: how are you going to keep it out of the hands of kids?”
Police Chief Stephen Brown said he didn’t anticipate a huge uptick in marijuana-related traffic stops. Today a driver can be charged with being under the influence of something other than alcohol. There is no chemical test that shows a person’s recent use of marijuana – marijuana can be detected in a person’s system for several days, which makes it less useful in determining culpability. Brown said field sobriety tests and observation still hold a lot of weight in terms of showing impairment of any kind. He added the “vast majority” of DUIs are alcohol related.
He said during his time at the EGPD, he didn’t know of a serious accident where the cause of the crash was linked to marijuana use.
“Everyone’s talking about smoking, smoking, smoking – that’s the potential nuisance aspect,” he said. “But with sales, the edibles are very popular. We’re not going to know about that if somebody pops a gummy.”
Brown said the town could adopt laws about using marijuana in public spaces, much like the ban on open containers of alcohol. Smoking ordinances are valid for marijuana, so there will be no lighting up in restaurants or on town and school properties. One of the immediate affects of the law is it’s now legal for a person to have up to an ounce of marijuana on their person (it had been a civil fine); possession of between 1 to 2 ounces will now result in a civil fine. Residents can grow up to six plants (three mature or “dried”).
Retail sales can begin Dec. 1; it’s unclear if stores will be open by then.
Top photo by Add Weed on Unsplash
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A bit of reefer madness if you ask me!
This isn’t new, we aren’t the first. Maybe these were good questions 20 years ago. We know these potential problems never come to fruition.
There is no moral argument, this would simply be some extra revenue, for something the rest of the state will be selling, and many of our residents will be interested in themselves.
For a town that, despite high taxes, seems to have trouble balancing the budget sometimes (the school committee not getting the budget they ask for and having to make cuts is, if not a perennial story, certainly one that crops up every few years).
I know those interviewed for this article, a drug counsellor and police chief, offer a biased view, but their fears just aren’t borne out. Children aren’t eating gummies non-stop and stoners aren’t handing them out for Halloween.
The lack of a test for impairment is perhaps the only valid concern brought up, however from other states that have done this, it hasn’t been a serious problem. (This article reads like we’re really breaking new ground, which we aren’t, we’re late to the party)
You make it seem like the school committee is the exception. No department got everything they asked for and had to make cuts or do without. You think the fire, police, public works, planning, etc. got everything they wanted/needed? Public works has wanted a new garage for years, police and fire are always looking for equipment upgrades and don’t get it all.
Agreed! Very well said, Let’s end all this dumb Reefer-Madness-like prohibitionist propaganda and put it to rest once and for all.
It’s way past time that we all Open Our Eyes, End The Lies, and Legalize Cannabis Federally, Nationwide!
As for restaurants and public buildings, wouldn’t you think “no smoking” would cover it?
What this means for EG is more people will be stoned in public and the town will get more tax revenues. Anyone that claims that pot is just a harmless fun drug will most likely be profiting from it. It is a gateway drug and our kids and families should never associate drugs with the term “recreational.” Even California, the most liberal state in the country, is now considering addition warning labels to it.