Thank you Camden mother Sophie Piconi for your comprehensive article (Camden Herald June 2) regarding the upcoming vote for/against marijuana shops in Camden.

 

She specifically points out the long term effects according to the Northern New England Poison Control Center.   They point out the, "300% spike in youth cannabis exposure reports between 2013 and 2022".  And  as she points out,  these are the cases only where the Center was consulted.  Furthermore this stat regards "ingestion only", and as such the problem is certainly much larger.

 

I believe marijuana is a gateway drug.  Certainly a harmful drug (medical use excepted) leading to more dangerous substance abuse, resulting in lives ruined and deaths.   This often begins with marijuana. Through the years many scientific examinations have well supported this opinion.

 

Will rejecting cannabis shops here in Camden reverse  or even lessen its use?  Probably not, but that's not the point!  By rejecting these shops, we will be on the right side of history even at the risk of being called "snobs" by a few. 

 

We will send a message that we believe it's use with few exceptions is harmful and should not be promoted.  I urge everyone to vote and to vote NO on cannabis shops in Camden.