{"id":721,"date":"2021-08-26T16:58:45","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmN0aW5zaWRlci5jb20vc2hvcmVsaW5lL2FydGljbGUvQW50aS1kcnVnLWFjdGl2aXN0cy11cmdlLUd1aWxmb3JkLXRvLWJhbi0xNjQxMzkxMi5waHDSAQA"},"modified":"2021-08-26T16:58:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:58:45","slug":"anti-drug-activists-urge-guilford-to-ban-recreational-pot-sales-ct-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=721","title":{"rendered":"Anti-drug activists urge Guilford to ban recreational pot sales – CT Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The leaders of the Guilford Developmental Assets for Youth<\/a> group published a letter Monday calling on the Board of Selectmen to take action to prohibit retail dispensaries, after state lawmakers voted earlier this year to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n

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The letter focused mostly on marijuana use by children and teens, which the group conceded would be a problem, whether or not local officials ban sales in Guilford. The letter was signed by three DAY organizers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are going to have that problem, and we cannot … close our eyes to the damage that this will cause to some of our children,\u201d the letter said. \u201cWe are requesting the ban as a message to Guilford\u2019s parents and kids that marijuana consumption is a significant health risk for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa Ott, one of the group\u2019s cochairs, said Thursday she has a meeting scheduled with Guilford First Selectman Matthew Hoey to follow up on the letter.<\/p>\n

Under Connecticut\u2019s recreational marijuana law<\/a>, it\u2019s largely up to cities and towns to dictate where marijuana can be purchased, either through zoning rules or town ordinances. Retail sales are expected to begin late next year, once the state establishes a permitting system.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe know this is coming down the road,\u201d Ott said. \u201cWe\u2019ve really been trying to get people to realize the implications that are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoey said that town officials are not considering specific proposals to regulate marijuana sales as of Thursday, and that the first discussions on the topic will be held at a Board of Selectmen meeting in early September.<\/p>\n

The town already has an existing prohibition on medical marijuana dispensaries<\/a> dating back to 2016, though, Hoey said, he had no clear indication at this point about how residents feel about the possibility of recreational sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is somewhat of a progressive community, so it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if it went either way,\u201d Hoey said.<\/p>\n

According to a document sent out this month by the South Central Regional Council of Governments<\/a>, at least four other towns in the region \u2014 Wallingford, Southington, Durham and Meriden \u2014 have proposed new rules or regulations on the sale of recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n