There will be a referendum on cannabis stores in EG on the November ballot
The Town Council voted 5-0 Monday to place a referendum on the November ballot asking East Greenwich voters if they will allow the town to host marijuana stores. Gov. Dan McKee signed a bill into law in May making cannabis legal in Rhode Island. Initially, there will be 24 pot shops so it’s unclear that East Greenwich would even get one, but in the law, only those communities that specifically vote against having cannabis stores can exclude them. The Town Council decided residents should weigh in.
“It is enough of an unsettled issue so we felt it was reasonable to take advantage of this referendum option,” Council President Mark Schwager said after the meeting.
Regardless of the referendum outcome, Schwager said the town needs ordinances to control the use of marijuana. Right now, tobacco smoking is not allowed on town property. It’s easy to imagine that being extended to marijuana smoking as well. Smoking is also prohibited from restaurants, but in Massachusetts they are starting to look into cannabis “bars,” where people can smoke indoors legally. That would be similar to the cigar bars in town now, with an emphasis on smoking, but with some prepared foods available for purchase.
Read more about how some town officials are reacting to marijuana legalization HERE.
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It’s so unfortunate that our state and now our local governments believes this will be a good thing for our well-being. It’s a gateway drug and will now create more opportunities for car accidents, addictions , poor decisions, etc. Amazing that for so many years our society and police fought this drug and even put people in jail for it. Now only to have it now all overturned in the name of tax revenue gains. No town that truly cares about its citizens or kids would ever allow this. I don’t want to walk down Main Street and watch stoned people. With legalization the opportunity to see this in public will increase dramatically. The reason EG is considering it is if the town says no they won’t get any of the tax revenues from it.
It’s a drug that has been used as an excuse to disproportionately lock up people and color, and other minorities. It’s a drug with similar intoxication levels to alcohol, though you rarely hear about people crashing cars stoned, or beating up their partners after a joint.
It’s a drug which offers medicinal options to those who are unable or unwilling to use opiates and many other pain relief and mind relief prescription drugs.
It’s a drug for those who don’t want to destroy their bodies with alcohol.
Reefer madness is over. It’s not a gateway drug to anything, though in some ways programs like DARE can turn it into one as young students wonder what other drugs they were lied to about once they inevitably find the effects of pot mild.
And regarding walking down main street and watching stoned people, I can assure you that you already are.
I’ll give you a wave next time we pass on Main Street.