To the Editor:

Princeton’s Cannabis Task Force issued a report recommending that Princeton allow up to three pot shops in our town. What costs would these shops impose on Princeton? The CTF Report does not even consider the question. But the costs would be substantial, including more traffic accidents, more crime, and higher taxes.

Pot shops would bring more drug-impaired drivers to our town, leading to more car accidents. A researcher at MIT, Theodore Caputi, analyzed fatal car crash data in every zip code where recreational pot shops were opened. He found that recreational pot shops increased the rate of fatal car crashes by approximately 6 percent relative to zip codes without dispensaries. Accidents are the leading cause of death for children and young adults — we can all agree that we do not want more fatal accidents in Princeton.

Pot shops would bring more crime to our town. The large amounts of cash and drugs on hand at pot shops make them attractive targets for criminals. Pot shops across the country have suffered an alarming number of armed robberies. In addition to being targets of crime, studies have found that opening pot shops increases property crimes in surrounding neighborhoods (“Marijuana Outlets and Crime in an Era of Changing Marijuana Legislation,” J Primary Prevent (2017); “The Criminogenic Effect of Marijuana Dispensaries in Denver, Colorado,” Justice Evaluation Journal (2019).

Pot shops would impose financial costs on our town. The town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, found that three pot shops cost the town approximately $1.25 million in annual costs, including: (1) additional police officers to cover the cannabis shops and increased impaired driving due to marijuana use, (2) additional school personnel to address increased marijuana availability and use by school children, and (3) health department and administrative costs.

Funding $1.25 million in additional annual costs would require a tax rate increase of nearly 4 percent (an $800 increase for a typical resident paying $20,000 per year). Princeton is already one of the highest taxing towns in the state. Alternatively, to avoid increasing taxes, Princeton would have to reduce spending on other items, such as public safety, education, health, and social services.

Please join the virtual Special Council Meeting on Cannabis on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., and tell the Princeton Council that you do not want pot shops in our town.

Gabe Saltarelli
Nassau Street