To the Editor:

The possibility of cannabis dispensaries appearing in Princeton is fading fast. While local papers reported only weeks ago that the Cannabis Task Force was to recommend up to three dispensaries within the town, that possibility has apparently become upended. While 78 percent of Princetonians voted in November of 2020 to approve legalization in the state of New Jersey, a very vocal group in opposition to dispensaries in Princeton has apparently dominated the discussion at Cannabis Task Force meetings. I have heard that at those meetings upwards of 80 percent of voices are in opposition. Recently, we have all seen mailings from this group in an attempt to drum up support for their position. Overall, this has understandably created a lot of pressure on town leadership who might be reluctant to move ahead with dispensaries unless they hear more of a voice from people who heretofore have considered dispensaries in town a done deal.

I won’t reiterate the arguments on both sides. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what the evidence is. It doesn’t matter that marijuana was legalized in New Jersey. It doesn’t matter what the experience has been in states such as Colorado where recreational marijuana was legalized 10 years ago. It doesn’t matter that alcohol, with dispensaries in Princeton numbering in the double digits, accounts for much more morbidity and hospitalizations than marijuana. What matters is that the town Council also hears in a significant way from Princetonians in favor of dispensaries. They need to hear from the mostly “silent majority” who voted to legalize marijuana. This means writing letters to papers like this, writing to our Council members (princetonnj.gov/872/Mayor-Council), and showing up at the Council meeting on March 29 to advocate for this position.

It would seem like a fait accompli that a municipality where essentially four out of five voters favored legal cannabis would have at least one dispensary. Opponents have argued, without evidence, that many of those in favor would not like a dispensary in their backyard. They cite polls to that effect. Perhaps, in the end, the town should put the issue to a referendum and not kowtow to the loudest, best-funded voices. That is not how democracy is supposed to work.

This does not have to be a zero-sum game. There is no reason that all sides can’t get most of what they want. Perhaps instead of three dispensaries, including one in the downtown district, the town should start with one some distance from schools in the commercial district on Route 206. This issue can be worked out with deference to folks on both sides of the conversation. But this won’t happen unless both sides show up in earnest.

Gary Maltz, MD
Braeburn Drive