To the Editor:

The decision of whether to open retail cannabis dispensaries in Princeton must be based on what’s best for Princeton. Period. Instead, vocal dispensary supporters have come out in force recently to throw mud at opponents. Rumors are being spread about neighbors – like us, involved in the grassroots noretailcannabishere.org movement — who’ve come together against retail dispensaries. They say we reached into our “deep pockets.” We have deep pockets? The U.S. cannabis market is projected to reach $28 billion in sales for 2022 (Headset, April 2021), whereas we have zero to gain from this decision financially. 

Let’s not forget that cannabis legalization was intended to stop punishing people, while pot commercialization makes people money, and some people have made a lot of it.  Meanwhile, please google how very few people were released from jail since cannabis legalization. Money can cloud judgement and distort quality of public information, as observed with the fall of Big Tobacco and Purdue Pharma.

Standing in the way of other people making money is an easy way to become a troll target, so here we are. There are individuals and companies that built careers and wealth through selling or promoting cannabis; some of them are locals and would gain financially from having these shops in town, but few are talking about that. Instead, some are working hard to redirect Princeton community’s focus and judgement to a group of accidental activists who are fighting for their kids and the future of our community.  We are not ashamed, we’re proud that we’ve pooled together money, little by little, from dozens in the community to inform Princetonians of this issue and mobilized neighbors to open their eyes rather than buy into cannabis industry talking points. There are now hundreds of supporters on our mailing list.

In response, instead of focusing on the facts and issues at stake, pro-dispensary folks are politicking, mischaracterizing us as a highly organized well-funded group, calling us “cowards” and worse.  Is name-calling, stealing our lawn signs off private properties, and presumptuous labeling of our diverse group, all that pro-dispensary folks have or are there arguments with substance? Similarly, while the Princeton Cannabis Task Force (CTF) report has zeal, it’s likewise lacking scientific evidence, common sense, and balance. We’re being attacked because we’ve highlighted legitimate consequences of normalization, concerns about addiction, lack of regulations, and safety unknowns. Let’s calmly and soberly consider the risks and benefits of cannabis shops. There is much to learn and ponder from other states that have mature cannabis markets. Shouldn’t the benefits of dispensaries outweigh the negative consequences?

Princeton is about to embark on a new master plan. Let’s allow regulation in New Jersey to mature, get through the learning curve of cannabis legalization, sharpen community education to address existing problems, and then decide whether cannabis shops fit into our future. We are thankful to members of the Board of Education and Board of Health, who in data-supported and thoughtful ways have voiced many of our same concerns about the risks to our kids and community.

Rita Rafalovsky
Library Place

Shenwei Zhao
Prospect Avenue

Sarada Yaddanapudi
Windermere Way

Grace Zhang
Hemlock Circle