BRATTLEBORO — While opting out of selling retail cannabis for now would give our town time to plan, opting in will most likely be a permanent - and irreversible - decision.
On March 2, residents of Brattleboro will vote on whether the town should allow cannabis dispensaries once retail sales become legal in Vermont in 2022.
That's not a long way off, but our community still has some time left to have a much-needed conversation about what retail sales of cannabis in our town might look like - and we should have that conversation.
Specifically, the wording being put to voters on the ballot next month is: “Shall the Town permit the operation of licensed cannabis retailers subject to such municipal ordinance and regulation as the Selectboard may lawfully adopt and implement?”
So far, Brattleboro's Selectboard hasn't yet provided definitive guidance on ordinances or regulation, but the Brattleboro Planning Commission confirmed it will play a central role, subject to direction from a statewide Cannabis Control Board.
The commission recently released a statement encouraging community participation to ensure town regulations address any public concerns.
Of course, if the town votes no to retail cannabis sales, then there isn't much to discuss. Brattleboro would simply maintain the status quo, and nothing would prevent it from opting in later. By doing so, the town would also have time to see how other towns fare, so it might make a well-informed plan.
However, opting in will most likely be a permanent - and irreversible - decision. Brattleboro residents should think carefully about which is the better approach before casting their votes.
A yes vote would also mean a wide range of immediate choices for the town: Will the number of dispensaries be limited or unlimited? Will retailers be permitted to sell cannabis near our schools, kids clubs, or playgrounds? How will our town and residents benefit from the revenue?
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While some towns, such as Middlebury, have conducted surveys going as far back as 2017 to determine how residents feel about retail cannabis sales, Brattleboro's voters have yet to weigh in as a group on this topic.
Beginning in late January, my organization, Building A Positive Community (BAPC), formerly Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition, conducted a series of informal in-person and online surveys of residents to hear what they had to say.
We found the results to be as varied as they were insightful.
In all, we had 228 respondents to our survey (which is still live at bapc802.org) and learned that there is almost no limit to the questions residents have about what it will mean to bring the cannabis business to town.
Comments and queries left on the survey form ranged from “Cannabis should be legal” and “How will the town use the revenues?” to “This is a terrible idea” and “Very concerned about the youth.”
The purpose of the survey was to get a snapshot of the thoughts and concerns of members of our community ahead of this important decision: whether or not to opt in to allow retail cannabis sales.
While the survey reached more than 7,000 people, the data sample is not large enough to make concrete assumptions about the results of the upcoming vote. In addition, BAPC, as a nonprofit organization, does not take a view toward or comment on political issues, as that is not part of our mandate. Instead, we seek to focus on raising awareness and educating the public, which is why we are also releasing this data to the media, which we hope will be covering it in more detail.
Among the respondents, more than 80 percent stated they were aware of the upcoming town vote and around 25 percent said they used cannabis regularly. Just over 35 percent reported never using cannabis, while around 21 percent used it occasionally and 12 percent rarely. A little more than 7 percent chose not to report their usage.
Residents also highlighted questions and concerns about how cannabis sales will affect the image of the town; how many locations will sell retail cannabis; regulation of cannabis promotion and advertisement; parking and lines of people around dispensaries; state versus local control of sales, regulation, and taxes; and, notably, much confusion over who in our community will truly benefit.
Prominently, the results of the survey suggest that among the greatest concerns of Brattleboro residents is how the sale of retail cannabis in our town might affect youth and other vulnerable populations.
This is of particular note, as BAPC is focused on public health and reducing the harms related to substance misuse, especially as it relates to our youth, young adults, marginalized populations, and people with substance-use disorders.
According to nearly 47 percent of the Brattleboro residents surveyed, the impact of cannabis sales on such vulnerable populations was a major concern, while more than 51 percent stated that they harbored worries about youth having increased access to retail cannabis in our town.
Across Vermont, those aged 12 and older are using cannabis twice as much as the rest of the U.S. and the Northeast overall, according to the latest national data. It is no secret Windham County is already one of the top counties in the state for cannabis use. BAPC closely tracks cannabis use, both locally and in Windham County, through Vermont Health Department data and reports.
The latest data show that one-third of our high school students and more than half of our young adults between 18 and 24 years old have reported using cannabis in the past month. Notably, 30 percent of teens and 40 percent of young adults who reported using cannabis did so at least 20 times in the past month.
Meanwhile, one in five Windham County teens and young adults (between 11th grade to 24 years old) reported driving under the influence of cannabis over the past month.
One more key statistic: In Windham County, 67 percent of high school students reported in the latest health department data that their parents would think it was wrong for them to use cannabis. That's 8 points below the 75 percent state average.
And this number drops further to 62 percent for students of color and 55 percent for LGBT youth, who are at higher risk.
Evidence shows reduced access, decreased social acceptance, and increased perception of harm greatly influences a reduction in the likelihood of a use of a substance, especially among young people.
Therefore, heightened access and greater acceptance of cannabis most likely will lead to increased usage of cannabis among our community's youth and young adults.
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All of which means it is also no secret that if Brattleboro votes yes to retail cannabis sales, these numbers are likely to only go up. We need to ask ourselves: Are we ready for that? And if the town does vote yes, what might we all do as a community to counter the headwinds to safeguard our youth and our more vulnerable populations?
BAPC's survey shows many residents would like the town to provide them with more information before the vote and a solid plan that ensures that both residents and businesses can share in the health, wealth, and prosperity should the town decide affirmatively on March 2.
Again, opting out would give the town more time to provide additional information and safeguards that voters say they would like to see before casting their vote. But opting in will be a decision we can make only once, with wide-ranging and permanent consequences.
Brattleboro voters should think long and hard about whether they want to proceed without more information about what, exactly, they are signing up for. According to our survey results, more than 50 percent of residents said it is unclear to them who will benefit from the introduction of retail cannabis sales in our community. Don't they deserve to know?