Friday, December 18, 2015

The Grass Is Greener



Amherst may move up a notch or two in those ubiquitous top ten lists for places to retire if we get our first pot dispensary.  Medical marijuana of course.

The Select Board packet this week contains a heads up letter from Peter Kadens, president GTI Massachusetts NP Corp informing Chair Alisa Brewer that our little college town is being considered for a Registered Marijuana Dispensary. 

Massachusetts voters legalized medical marijuana in 2012 and a year later our Town Meeting passed (by two thirds vote) zoning article 13 limiting such facilities to mixed-use or business zoned areas and a few other common sense conditions.

New England Treatment Access was the first dispensary to open in the Happy Valley back in October, and was welcomed with open arms by Northampton officials. 

Pundits are predicting Massachusetts voters could legalize recreational marijuana as early as next year.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep the populace doped up.

Anonymous said...

Everyone back off the panic button.

<Federal data released earlier this week found there was no change in monthly marijuana use in almost every state last year. The only significant changes occurred in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Hawaii, where marijuana use fell. The study also examined Washington and Colorado, two states which saw their first years of legal recreational marijuana. In those states, teen marijuana use saw slight, but not statistically significant, increases compared to 2013.

--Reuters

Anonymous said...

The only panic associated with weed is fear of cops that go violent when they see folks doing it. Over 1% of our population and 5% of those in their 20s are jailed because of these violent police, courts and jailers. Despite this gen x is getting done what the boomers denied (at great cost) and millenials take for granted.

Larry Kelley said...

I've never seen or heard Amherst police get overly excited about pot.

Dr.Ed said...

Larry, perhaps the APD should -- there is absolutely no way that pot can not be MORE DANGEROUS THAN BEER -- and I'm talking OUI which is where everything including the 21-year-old drinking age came from.

After all, if Pot is not a psychoactive drug, then how can it be prescribed as such? "Sugar Pill" Placebos, "Snake Oil" & "Patent Medicines" are legacies of the 19th Century -- for something to be prescribed as a drug, it must actually do something. And Pot is prescribed as a psychoactive drug, thus it must have psychoactive effects.

NB: I am defining "psychoactive drug" as one that has a direct or indirect psychological effect, that effects the brain or neural network. This includes blood pressure meds such as BetaBlockers & ACE Inhibitors (which inhibit traffic on the neural network) and Insulin (which lowers blood sugar levels, with *that* then influencing the brain).

Psychoactive drugs beyond medically necessary therapeutic levels make one a dangerous driver -- remember the demolished bus shelter last fall?

So why aren't the cops going after these dangerous stoned drivers?

Anonymous said...

Do people who believe they can legislate the use/ abuse of dangerous substances which when often combined with drunk driving DUI leave victims mutilated/ killed, believe that THEY are going to pay the cost for victims of behavior which is CRIMINAL TO VICTIMS ? As a crippled for life victim of a DUI hit and run drunk driver with substance abuse issues, I can tell you I lost the family home, job/ marriage opportunities-and had to give up everything to subsist on the piddling SSI-which does NOT even cover the bills-are these "Pot jokers" going to make "Special Funds" for catastrophically injured/ maimed for life victims-what a total copout-like money will solve deadly injuries,etc..the state doesn't even do that-I doubt this druggie demographic contributes tax revenue-if they did it would still be a very grievious crime-physical dismemberment ?

Anonymous said...

A former Chief of Police told a former Select Board member (privately) that he'd rather engage with a cannabis user than an alcohol abuser.

Dr. Ed said...

8:16 PM, They don't have to combine it with ETOH to be deadly.
Pot alone affects ability to operate a vehicle, and as it is fat soluable, it's in the body for a week....

And Larry. isn't smoking bad????

Larry Kelley said...

They will be selling it in edible form as well.

Anonymous said...

Keep the people doped up.

Anonymous said...

They will argue that you don't Have to smoke it, you can ingest it in cooking, etc., but most people do indeed smoke it. And anyone who thinks smoking it is good for you has never cleaned a pot pipe.

Anonymous said...

Most people smoke it.

Anonymous said...

The evidence that cops, as you charge, " go violent when they see" people doing pot is --what? Do you have evidence? Please present some of it here.

Anonymous said...

Yes! Clean your pot pipe and then think of your lungs.

Anonymous said...

I've been smoking pot for 50 years. It has not done me any good. I'm simply addicted to it. And it ain't cheap.

Larry Kelley said...

And making it legal probably will not bring down the prices.

Anonymous said...

Ganja man. Ganja in yer lungs. The Surgeon General has what to say about that? Will we see the pics on weed packets of the holes in the throats or the black gums and rotted teeth?