The Lakewood Village Board voted unanimously Monday night to opt out of allowing retail sales of cannabis, dispensaries, and consumption locations in the village.
Sixteen residents attended the meeting, but this time the majority of speakers were for the village opting out.
Resident Richard Peterson said he’s a retired school administrator, “Let me tell you, I’ve seen it destroy family after family after family. And if that’s what you people want to do here, go ahead. But I’m telling you a lot comes along with it, a lot of baggage.”
Pastor Jim Witherington says he works for Hospice where medical marijuana is used effectively to treat pain but that the current issue isn’t about that, “The statistics are out there. You can take statistics and you can make them say whatever you want them to say. We all know that. If you have a point to make, you can make that point. I think the long term effects of recreational marijuana – the ability to dispense it, sell it, use it even in localized places – I think the long term effect of that will be very detrimental to this community.”
Board Trustee Ted McCague said he thinks opting out is the prudent action to take at this time, “As a statement that reflects the wishes of some residents, at the same time it preserves the option of the village to opt back in when maybe we know more about the whole situation and to make a more informed choice about whether or not we want to do that.”
Under State law, the local law takes effect 45 days after its adoption, unless a valid petition requesting a permissive referendum is filed with the municipality’s clerk within that 45-day period. Any individual who was qualified and registered to vote in the last general election can file a petition calling for the permissive referendum. In order to force a public vote on the local law, the petition must be signed and authenticated by at least 10 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor during the last gubernatorial election in the respective municipality.
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