Deerpark Opts Out of Public Cannabis Sales--for Now
Burt Thielander, of Deerpark, said he expected the Deerpark town board to decide against cannabis public sales and consumption last week, which would disappoint him. The meeting agenda showed that they had already drafted Local Law #6, “to opt out from allowing cannabis dispensaries & On-Site Consumption in the Town of Deerpark.” But he had a little jolt of something like hope from comments made by Town Supervisor Gary Spears after the board vote to opt out.
Thielander, a retired behavioral health nurse whose work now involves evaluation of behavioral health care institutions, had been a vocal member of the Deerpark police reform committee a few months ago, advocating more scrutiny of police department statistics. More recently, he expressed his support for public sales and use of marijuana.
“I support legal access to marijuana, like alcohol and cigarettes,” he said. “Get rid of the war on drugs mentality and make treatment available.”
To make this viable, he emphasized the importance of limiting purchases to people over 21 and finding a way to evaluate the amount of consumption that would impair driving. At the recent public hearing, he pointed out the value of addiction treatment over incarceration along with use of revenue from cannabis dispensaries for treatment.
Spears’ response gave Thielander some encouragement. Spears said that he had recently attended a state conference on cannabis regulation related to town decisions about opting in or out.
“Spears indicated that he and the town board likely would support dispensary presence and home growing, and that he and the board needed more information from the state before deciding to opt in. But he indicated opposition to on-site consumption in the town,” Thielander said. “Two board members appeared to connect with what Spears described.”
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