As our primary concern is the welfare of Teaneck, the Teaneck Republican Municipal Committee is alarmed that the proliferation of cannabis for recreational use will pose a threat to our community. After all, cannabis, or marijuana, was not long ago a criminally banned substance. As Senator Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) expressed decades ago, “we are defining deviancy down.”

After a recent town forum, we were appalled to witness the cavalier attitude expressed by many of the participants toward a substance which can be dangerous to those who use it and thereby adversely impact those who do not. Cannabis poses risks particularly to our children. As many studies have shown, children exposed to marijuana are at higher risk for psychotic breakdown and cognitive deficits. Therefore, the supposed benefits simply do not justify jeopardizing the well-being of Teaneck.

The alleged economic benefits of these cannabis dispensaries will be greatly offset and outweighed by its social, mental health and economic costs. It is widely known in credit card and payment processing circles that cannabis and CBD retailers are considered high-risk merchant accounts because they are more likely to default on their payments, suffer high levels of chargebacks or commit fraud. In other words, these retailers could prove to be an economic liability rather than an asset to our town. The safety and stability of Teaneck must be our primary objective.

Therefore, we strongly reject any availability of cannabis, which precludes any dispensaries in Teaneck, including on Alfred Avenue. We are especially concerned that there is consideration for allowing multiple dispensaries in Teaneck. While we recognize that marijuana has become more “socially acceptable” in the last decade, the last thing we want is for our town to become “the pot capital” of Bergen County or even of New Jersey. No amount of tax revenue is worth that stigma. We have no idea how municipalities will proceed in this new environment of legalization, and we certainly do not want our town to be the leader of the marijuana movement.

We emphatically urge our town leadership to reassess their decision in making cannabis accessible in our town so we can protect those most vulnerable to its potentially dangerous consequences and maintain the quality of life of our fellow
Teaneck residents.

Our Teaneck Republican Municipal Committee has meetings on the last Wednesday of each month. Please contact our organization at [email protected] or 201-562-2596 for more information, or view our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TeaneckRepublican.