So the big news in my area is an upcoming Town Hall meeting on November 4th. Since the State of New York passed several marijuana laws, towns in the state have a choice to “opt-in” to having retail marijuana stores or dispensaries. The Town Board of Amenia, New York doesn’t seem to want this and voted against it on October 7th. This is causing a bit of a ruckus in this small town in Dutchess County, NY.
The TriCorner News wrote about the meeting a week later. Local supporters of the cannabis outlets want citizens to show up to the next Town Hall meeting on November 4th to urge the Board to reverse their decision.
During public comment, Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner read aloud a comment submitted via email by resident Daniel Donnelly, who opposed the law and encouraged the board to reconsider permitting selling marijuana in town, as well as legalizing smoking lounges.
Though he said he does not personally consume cannabis, Donnelly told board members without realizing it, they’re already surrounded by people who do. This includes, he stated, among others, educators, artists, farmers, athletes, clergy, attorneys and even law enforcement.
To me it’s the classic tale of the old vs. the new. The old-timers don’t want anything to change and want everything to stay the same. But they will be the first to complain when there isn’t enough money. Sometimes change results in getting more money. And with the way New Yorkers smoke weed there is a ton of money to be seen here. A ton.
I plan on attending the meeting on November 4th and giving my full support behind reversing the Board’s opt-out decision. I may be a newbie around here but that doesn’t mean I won’t speak my voice. And I encourage all my fellow Amenians who support this to show up as well!
Sometimes the numbers speak for themselves:
Gutierrez said he was told Theory Wellness, a dispensary in Great Barrington, earned $30 million in revenue in its first year of operation — but stressed he has not verified the numbers. At $30 million, he said that would mean $1.2 million in revenue split between Dutchess County and the town — roughly what Amenia would typically collect in a typical year from property taxes.
The Exceptional Infinite 
What is needed is to legalize growing and to decriminalize private sales, as well as a general amnesty for previous convictions. I believe the position of NORML is similar. I believe on the other hand that MPP, the Marijuana Policy Project, is heavily funded by those who wish to profit from licensed dispensaries.
On a personal note, now we know you live near U.S. 44. Two of my great aunts lived in Pomfret, CT, right on U.S. 44 in the farmhouse where my grandmother must have grown up around the turn of the century. My route to New England in recent years has been to cross the Bear Mountain Bridge and take the Taconic State Parkway north, just to the west of you.
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