To the Editor:

As a long-term former board of health member and longtime resident of Princeton, I sent the following comments to the Princeton Board of Health for its February 8 meeting on the agenda item: Health Impacts of Recreational Cannabis Legalization.

1) For a variety of public health and related reasons we need retail cannabis outlets in Princeton like we need the proverbial “hole in the head.”  Kidding aside, the numerous compelling resident letters to Town Topics and otherwise expressed have given very strong reasons why we should not move forward with retail cannabis. The Princeton Board of Health (and health officer’s) responsibility and input are critical in this matter.

2) While medical cannabis is necessary for some, recreational use is not. Promotion of such use via retail stores can be expected to create additional health problems. These include increased smoking, motor vehicle accidents, and related impairment incidents, aside from the message it sends to our youth. This is especially true with cannabis products, the dose of which cannot always be verified.

3) A large number of New Jersey municipalities statewide, including close ones in central N.J., have rejected retail cannabis. Princeton should do likewise. It should not become a regional supplier of retail cannabis. This would worsen already serious traffic (including air quality) and parking problems, more so with expected increased population density in Princeton.

4) Increased DWI incidents and more reliance on law enforcement are likely with retail cannabis. Aside from such health and social costs, there are resulting municipal financial costs which will negate or reduce retail cannabis income, a primary reason for considering such facilities.

5) We should legally consider a municipal referendum on Election Day this November regarding whether or not to have retail cannabis in Princeton.

Thank you and much appreciation for the critical work of the Princeton Board of Health and Princeton Health Department, more so in our current pandemic.

Grace Sinden
Ridgeview Circle