LETTER: 'Local Pot Shops Are Bad For Our Community's Safety'

MILFORD, MA—The following was submitted by Daniel Gregory. Want to get in on the conversation? Send your letters to charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

Having read the dueling letters by Beverly Swymer and Bryant Hopkins, I’ve decided to stick my nose in and offer my two cents. Here’s how I see things:

Anyone so angry about the success of this referendum that they would suggest (as Bryant’s letter appears to) that an unfair process was used needs to look in the mirror and consider these points:

 Verified statistics show that significant numbers of people drive under the influence of drugs, alcohol, sleep deprivation and cellphone distraction. And with this being true, I voted “yes” because I did not want people driving to Milford to fulfill their supply for yet another drug (in this case, marijuana) which they might use before driving. We’ve got enough bad drivers and stoned drivers on the road already. As the movie said “if you
build it, they will come." And if we ever do build pot shops in Milford, you can be sure that a significant proportion of those who drive here to buy pot will indeed drive under the influence on a frequent basis. Thus, unless and until the pro-pot people are willing to admit and deal with this fact, I feel that local pot shops are bad for our community's safety.
 In the weeks leading up to the September 19, 2017 vote, both my wife and I received phone calls at home from the pro-pot people urging us to vote “no." Without exception, the callers were rude, pushy and refused to explain any valid reasons why we should support their position. As you might imagine, these calls served to reinforce our perception that the pro-pot people are angry, discourteous and do not respect anyone who
disagrees with them.
 In my anecdotal observations, it seemed to me that the “vote yes” signs were torn down and vandalized much more often than the “vote no” signs. This was my own observation, but it did tend to bolster my impression of the pro-pot side as being composed of rude people who care only about themselves and their access to a drug supply – with no regard for anyone else’s feelings. And in this situation, when I read Bryant’s letter, I get the same feeling; that somehow I am supposed to be a bad person because I disagree with him. The marijuana which is grown and sold today is not the same old twiggy brown weed people smoked back in the 60’s and 70’s. Rather, it’s carefully cultivated to be a very potent drug.

Thus, there’s no doubt that the law of unintended consequences must be taken fully into account
prior to implementing any plans which increase its cultivation, sale and use. And that being true,
unless and until ‘pot shop’ people prove themselves willing to honestly address the very real
risks inherent in what they seek, I will not support them. And that’s why I voted against them.

Daniel Gregory
Milford MA

Patch file photo