SOUTH HADLEY — Seniors and local health officials discussed the potential effects of retail marijuana sales Wednesday, with many saying the business would be a detriment to the community and youth population.
“I don’t mind it for medical use, but I don’t like it for recreational use,” said Terry Malone, 73. “I think there needs to be a lot more education for officers to understand the risks.”
The discussion was part of a biweekly series called “Lunch and Learn” put on by the Council of Aging during lunchtime at the Senior Center. With South Hadley residents set to vote April 10 on whether to ban all non-medical marijuana business in town, the issue is at the forefront of many residents’ minds.
“I think recreational marijuana will cause problems,” said Peg Sullivan, 76. “The police have enough problems with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol to add driving under the influence of marijuana.”
Led by Karen Walsh Pio, coordinator for the South Hadley Drug & Alcohol Prevention Coalition, and Dr. Dorothy Kelly, a pediatric hospitalist based in Holyoke, the talk focused on marijuana’s impact on youth, the economy, public health and safety.
“Information is power. Knowledge is power,” said Leslie Hennessey, director of the South Hadley Council on Aging. “It’s hard to understand what’s going on with different local, state, and federal regulations.”
Pio compared prevention officials’ fight against commercial marijuana to the predatory business of Big Tobacco.
“Addiction is a for-profit business,” Pio said. “Marijuana is being used in a lot of different forms and if marijuana shops are allowed they will sell it in all these different ways.”
Marijuana-infused beverages, baked goods, candy and skin lotion could all be sold at retail marijuana shops, complicating regulation for law enforcement, Pio said. That, coupled with concerns about on-site consumption, driving under the influence, youth development and dependence were shared by seniors and members of the Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition.
“Responsible marijuana can help, irresponsible marijuana can kill,” said Tina Lukasik, a family outreach coordinator with the South Hadley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition.
Some seniors did not mind the idea of marijuana for medicinal use, but think that commercial marijuana takes the issue too far, too fast.
Kelly said marijuana today is up to 10 times more potent than it was decades ago, and that can seriously affect the developing brains of anyone under the age of 24. Cognitive function, IQ, attentiveness, memory and overall health are all affected by habitual marijuana use, she said.
“One in six users becomes dependent on marijuana, and marijuana is a gateway drug,” Kelly said. “Statistically, their income is lower than those who don’t use marijuana, then they become dependent on social welfare programs.”
Commercial marijuana would also negatively affect the economy, Pio and Kelly said. Revenue from taxes on commercial marijuana, set at 3 percent statewide, would not cover the cost of implementation when factoring in law enforcement and regulatory costs. The normalization of the drug would be a detriment to young people starting their lives and careers, too, they said.
“It creates an unstable workforce,” Pio said. “You don’t have educated, reliable employees.”
Handouts distributed at the talk cited national statistics from Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a nonprofit opposed to legalization and commercialization. They claim the projected annual cost of workplace absenteeism due to commercial marijuana use would be $68.1 million, and the increase in workplace injuries would cost $20.1 million.
Additionally, the estimated cost of increased automobile fatalities, injuries and property damage would be $101.4 million, according to Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
The Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition cautions against establishing the commercial marijuana industry in town given that the drug is still illegal under federal law.
“This throws a completely different shade over whether one wants to establish a marijuana business when it’s completely unclear how on the federal level this will play out,” Pio said.
According to Kelly, the average age of a marijuana user is 32.
“The younger people embrace this stuff, but as you get older you want to slow down and understand these drugs,” Malone said. “And with the opioid crisis, who knows, we should just take it slow.”
Sarah Robertson can be reached at srobertson@gazettenet.com.