To the Editor:

I’ve lived in Princeton since 1971, and for the first time in 50+ years I am compelled to send a public letter in response to a concerning dynamic I’ve observed over the past months.

In 2020, along with nearly 80 percent of Princeton residents, I voted for the legalization of cannabis in our state. The reasons for strong support of the initiative have already been extensively documented in these pages and elsewhere, so there’s little need to re-visit the voters’ decision and re-hash the arguments here. Cannabis will soon be available for legal, recreational use in Princeton — whether over the counter at local dispensaries, or via delivery. Wherever one stands on this issue, it’s coming.

Meanwhile, it’s been impossible to ignore the recent response. Here, in Princeton of all places, I have been dismayed to see mis- and dis-information machines ratcheted up. Nefarious intentions have been insinuated and impugned. Data from inconclusive research have been cherry-picked to support points of view. Sadly, all signs of the times, all symptoms of a greater malaise in our body politic.

After receiving a mailer from a group opposed to dispensaries in town (including claims that simply didn’t ring true) I wondered: was I naive to believe that a civic-minded group of residents and subject-matter experts (the Cannabis Task Force) wouldn’t take their task seriously? So I read the report for which the CTF has spent nearly 11 months soliciting input and examining issues from every conceivable perspective.

I was extremely impressed: the report is well-researched, well-referenced, and well-reasoned. And easy to read. It’s thorough, while also identifying areas requiring further study. And it’s careful not to draw inferences from inconclusive data sets. I commend the group’s comprehensive work and thank them for their service to our town.

While tempted to rebut specific anti-dispensary arguments here, I will resist doing so as it can only serve to amplify points of misinformation. More recently, I’ve been heartened to see many residents’ letters in support of the CTF recommendations (as well as comments made during the recent Board of Health meeting). I refer particularly to Mikaylah Ladue’s discussion of the choices we make in communicating with our children, and Joe Amon’s broader reminder to resist reading too much into studies that are not “generalizable to new locations, populations, and times.”

Finally, a personal experience re: relief for chronic pain. While in Massachusetts recently, I visited dispensaries on multiple occasions. Two points: 1) security – unlike a convenience store or liquor “dispensary,” it would have been impossible to gain entrance without showing a valid I.D. at two checkpoints; and 2) once inside, the well-trained staff were extremely helpful, providing clear information regarding a bewildering array of options; without having had the opportunity to engage directly with knowledgeable personnel, I would never have been able to identify an appropriate solution.

This — along with a more measured tone in our discourse going forward — is my hope for Princeton.

Charles Read
Rollingmead Street