Dear Editor –
Psychologist Gary Wenk wrote in Psychology Today that “people who are heavy users of marijuana for a prolonged period of time were characterized as suffering from apathy, dullness, lethargy, and impairment of judgment, i.e. the classic amotivational syndrome.”(1)
Dr. Ruth Potee, MD of Greenfield MA, recently told an audience in Shrewsbury that last year, for the first time, marijuana use among teens surpassed cigarette use. And that’s a problem because early exposure to cannabis, as with early exposure to other drugs, can harm the developing brain.(2)
Recreational marijuana use has been legalized in Massachusetts: for now, that is the reality we live in. But that doesn’t mean its use has to be unrestricted. Although this practice has been growing – to the detriment of all concerned, even its advocates – we have an opportunity to slow it down this Election Day, Tuesday, November 6.
The Town Ballot questions allow Hanson residents to “Opt Out” of legalized recreational Marijuana retail sales within our borders. To make retail marijuana illegal within the town of Hanson, we need to vote “Yes” on both questions: Yes, we want to opt out of legalized marijuana sales.
Proponents of legalized marijuana may say that legalization does not extend to minors, but who are they kidding? The more it is available, the more its use will spread, and we will all be the poorer for that.
I encourage all Hanson residents to vote “Yes” on both Town Ballot Questions and opt out of recreational retail marijuana sales in Hanson. For more information, please visit, like and follow the Facebook Page “Opt Out Hanson.”
Faithfully,
Rev. Dr. Peter J. Smith
Peter Smith is Sr. Pastor of First Congregational Church in Hanson, MA. He serves on the Whitman-Hanson WILL Substance Abuse Prevention Committee. he can be reached at psmith@fcchanson.org
1)https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-food/201411/amotivational-syndrome-and-marijuana-use. Accessed 10/19/2018.
2) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180916/doctor-marijuana-e-cigarettes-harmful-to-teen-brains. Accessed 10/23/2018.