How many liquor stores and bars do we have in town? and 1/2 way houses?

The people described in this article sound like they are directly out of Reefer Madness. Get a clue people. "Marijuana a gateway drug?" I guess that sounds cool and might be true if that gateway is to say a bakery or coffee shop?.......or a performing arts center.

Things like domestic violence, violent crime and major health issues are all caused by the booze that flows freely down our streets not pot. Most in the state have already figured out that smoking pot is not a crime hence why it is decriminalized.

Ever dealt with a drunk person vs high? The later usually is not required and much easier in general.

Did I also get the quote right that our danger of Fire is going to go up because of all the lighters being used? Warning people the town might burn down if we allow people to smoke pot and do not bother them.(please say that in your head with extreme sarcasm)

I think the only danger we have with dispensaries is the danger of say a new line of revenue thru a local tax perhaps. Or maybe we are in danger of having better restaurants or more tourists who frequent our businesses and spend their money here. Or maybe we will have less citizens harassed for what they are already doing.
So I ask you, if you are against dispensaries is it based on personal experience or this ignorant propaganda?
Go to California, Colorado, Amsterdam etc. They are not burning down because of all the lighters

I am not sure why medicinal marijuana is not dispensed in pharmacies, like all other legal drugs are ???

correction not lighters but lights, you get the idea anyhow.....it is BS propaganda!

There are a lot of people with Cancer and many other medical problems that this can help. Obviously Wakefield has many half way houses so the town appears to want to support the less fortunate. I think people could take into consideration, it pharmacy's will not provide a type of medicine, which is very common there should be another alternative. There are a lot of meds that have to be purchased at special places due to the fact they are "special types" or need to be specially made for different medical problems. As long as it is controlled, I really don't see a problem with it. For those so against it....think for a moment, God forbid, you or a loved one had to suffer with a deadly illness or maybe one you just had to live with and doesn't have a cure and that was the only means of getting some type of comfort/relief...wouldn't you want it. Or can you only see it when and if it happens to you. Many people only see a problem when it happens to themselves...try to consider the others suffering in pain and nausea to the point they can't eat when making a decision to ban something.

Also, for those who think they are so educated,,,'Medical use of marijuana' does not only have to be smoked, it DOES come in other forms. Educate yourselves before you freak out about an issue and have compassion for the sick....for someday you may become sick and realize how judgemental you are being. Expand your horizons and see the big picture, don't only focus on negitive issues. There will always be negitive in anything if a person allows it....it's just the opposite,,,everything is a positive,,,you just need to not be so narrow minded.

I did not make a post to argue or be sarcastic. If it were controlled as pharmacys control drugs, I don't see an issue. There will be abuse and abusers of drugs, alcohol and many, many other things in life anytime anywhere. Just becuase people abuse things does not mean things can not help people in need. A pharmacy is definately a better place to get drugs for medicinal purposes, hense the reason a pharmacy sells medicine. I didn't realize anyone would be able to go into this place without a script for either syntetic "weed" or "weed" to smoke. I can see where that would not be right.
I have never done drugs but I do believe in Eastern and Western fields working togather. Many have been cured with alternative medicinal medicine...which is not FDA approved. And when it comes down to it...there is a lot that IS FDA approved that has been harmful to people.

The point of the 1/2 way house comment is that there are many people with serious alcohol problems who we assist with these facilities to get better. It is not preferred by many to live near because often times it encourages loitering etc but it is a fact of life. They get their drug which is booze everywhere and the government makes a ton of revenue on it thru taxes.

So in a way it is an all or nothing game, Allow it and give equal treatment to similar products or outlaw them all.

They tried to outlaw booze years ago and look how that turned out. However we did get NASCAR out of it from all the bootleggers and racers that came from it. But the government eventually figured out they had to allow it and how to get their piece of the pie with outstomping on individual liberties.

Also look at smoking cigarettes, it is clear that dosages and product consistency can be achieved.

and while I say similar products, I definitely do not mean same, booze destroys too many lives but the people have spoken and it is legal. Same with cigarettes.

But back to the article, the quotes and supporting arguments the folks presented were all bogus. When one of the main reasons against a medical dispensary are that our risk of "Fire" in town goes up, that is pretty sad. If this was 1920 and we all had wood houses, no sprinklers or fire trucks, I imagine scare tactics like that make sense.......even though they are not even tangent to this issue in modern times.

If you ask a cop publicly, you get one answer - the one they have to give because of their position. If you ask one in private, however, to choose between which they'd rather have legal, you'll get a different, and perhaps very surprising answer. Alcohol causes, or contributes to, more societal problems by an order of magnitude. The "gateway drug" theory doesn't hold water either, because "the gateway" is having to associate with those who are involved with other things like heroin, etc. The "Reefer Madness" reference is actually right on point. Just watch that idiotic piece of propaganda, and you'll see what I mean. I haven't made up my mind which way I'll vote on this, but when I do, I don't want my vote to be cast on the basis of nonsensical propaganda and misinformation. I see potential to regulate and tax what is now a gigantic criminal enterprise.

People in this town really do live in a bubble, don't they? Stop worrying about problems of the upper class white people, and actual problems in this world. Marijuana really isn't a gateway drug, nor is it going to make Wakefield have any gangs. Also, baking it into goods delays the chemical reaction and is a different type of high. And, to the person bringing heroin in as a reference, you're just out of your mind if you think it leads down that path. If anything, alcohol lowers a person's inhibitions and leads them to make misguided decisions, something that is not common with marijuana.

And, as for something to improve the town, maybe start with a business on main street that will attract people (and actually stay open for more than 3 months). I really have no need for about 90% of the businesses. And something in town that stays open past 10pm besides McDonalds or the Irving gas station would be nice.

You folks are assuming that a dispensary is going to open up downtown, if Im not mistaken the town passed a zoning bylaw years ago dealing with tattoo parlors and adult entertainment, again I could be wrong however, I think the only area these business can operate is down off Pleasure Island Rd. If this is the case, why cant the bylaw be written the same way? I agree that a dispensary downtown would be a mistake, however, banning any legal business simply because of ones own bias is wrong. My Dad died of ALS, medical marijuana could have helped his suffering (although I doubt he wold have used it), but the patient should have the option. As far as crime is concerned, Banks are robbed on a daily basis, should we ban them? No I think not. The issue of halfway houses came up, I grew up on Lafayette St, directly across from a halfway house. The residents have varied from seriously disturbed individuals to quiet, yet troubled youth. The current crew at 15 Lafayette is a problem, ask any cop and they will tell you, and there is another at 13 Lafayette, yet there seems to be no issue there. (I know this because my mom is still there). There are alot of halfway houses around the square which pay no taxes, yet use town services (police and fire, garbage pick up, school bus services, etc.). Perhaps making a dispensary pay a licence fee to operate in the town, yet away from retail business would not be a bad thing. Also the town says it has zero control over the half way house issue

I was being open minded to the benefits of synthetic marijuana for people with medical problems. Not for social use. I didn't say I was for a marijuana dispensary because I don't know or have the detailed information about the dispensary. I would assume these people would needs scripts, if not...than obviously it is a bad idea. Is there anywhere it can be found to review.

Is there one that applies to MA for people to refer to when voting?

Heidi-Jean, that;s not the question I suggested be asked. I don't know if a dispensary in Wakefield is a bad idea or not. Certainly not downtown. How about over on Audubon Rd? In any case, the question I suggested had nothing to do with a dispensary - it had to do with which most cops would prefer to see legalized. The point was that it seems apparent that alcohol causes more societal problems than marijuana, especially if you remove the contact with those who are into harder drugs, and I guarantee most cops would admit they have far more trouble with alcohol-related issues.

Actually, I wasn't talking about volume either, since that's hard to quantify, but rather the "character" of the encounter, ie: are you more likely to meet "resistance" or "aggression" from someone who's UI alcohol or someone who's used marijuana? With which are you more likely to have to use some measure of force, and with which is an injury to either the officer or the "suspect" more likely to occur?

"These dispensaries bring other drug dealers to the area," said Clay, adding that such a facility in Wakefield would also contribute to higher crime rates and perhaps even more fire danger from the lights used by marijuana growing operations. "I'm not sure... whether it would be a great idea to have that dispensory next to your business. Probably not." Clay told the Wakefield Rotary members. This is the section that gets me. Pro or Con this woman does not sound that well informed with blanket scare tactic statements not backed up by actual stats......we need a competent health director not a propaganda pusher

Aside from Reefer Madness she also reminds me of the blockbuster people involved in real estate over the last 100 or so years......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbusting

BTW CVS would be a great spot, it has a history of acting as a pharmaceutical hub and is right in front of the Public Safety building so we can keep an eye on people without you know violating their civil liberties etc.

Thank you Heidi-Jean

The real tragedy of this article is the Wakefield Health Agent speaking in the capacity of a state\local employee and infusing her comments with personal opinion. The Health Agent's job is to provide non-biased information based on fact which she clearly did not. In fact, she presented items that are really paranoid speculation but she presented them as fact without backup. Grasping for straws she even made up one I never heard before. Increased fire risk to the community? I wonder if she checked in with the Fire Dept before throwing that out there? My guess is no.

The police Chief did the right thing with a generic quality of life statement. I don't agree but he is not spreading lies or misleading people aggressively. The drug store owners comments I do not agree with either and are seemingly based on an outdated mentality and fear that her business might be effected. So her comments are based on fear which is never good.

Let's put this one too bed and lay off Heidi folks, it is the Health Agent who was really speaking out of turn.