Marijuana decriminalization progress

I think a better analogy would be a package store, or a smoke shop, both of which might have community resistance to being placed too close to a school.

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Are there any states that permit a consume on-site dispensary model? That would seem like a bar, rather than package store. They get all pissy if you crack a beer while waiting in line, or so a friend tells me.

In our city the main complaint has been the odor from the farms. A bunch of small farms switched from growing flowers to growing marijuana and the neighbors raised a big stink.

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You mean the farms created a big stink, and the neighbors complained. :wink:

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“The three words that best describe that town are as follows and I quote…”

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fyi, my BIL grows cannabis, and you can smell his 6 plants from quite a distance away.

I can also smell the cows from the farm a mile away when the wind blows a certain way, which has been all spring long this year.

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You might be cranky if your neighbor switched from growing flowers to dairy farming, too. On my suburban lot, I’m allowed to plant pretty much whatever flowers i want, but there are a lot of rules about livestock, largely because livestock can be a nuisance for the neighbors.

Of course, bamboo…

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Minnesota currently allows hemp-derrived delta-9 THC products (same exact chemical as what is in cannabis based THC).
Most bars serve THC tonics/seltzers (and also edibles) that you can consume on premises.
So, not exactly a dispensary.
Most local micro/craft brewers also have a THC tonic/seltzer.

NIMBY is not allowing something that would be good for your community but would devalue your property so you protect your properties value over the rest of the community. Prohibition of a vice is not really fitting this Paradym for me.

This statement gets at the root for why prohibitions of dispensaries feels like NIMBYism to some.

Many of the folks who would like increased access to cannabis dispensaries don’t see cannabis use as a vice.

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But “easy” access to cannabis isn’t generally viewed as a social good in the same manner as having adequate housing would be.

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Exactly. Access to weed is not the same as nuclear power, affordable housing, homeless services, new roads, etc.

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I’m guessing those aren’t the people who are trying to get it zoned out of their towns, though. A lot of people DO see cannabis as a vice, and I think it’s those people who are generally trying to restrict it.

Basically, I’m suggesting that:

  • Most of the people who don’t view restricting cannabis dispensaries would reject the notion that such restrictions are NIMBYism because they view cannabis use as a vice (akin to alcohol or smoking); while
  • People who disagree with the notion of cannabis use being a vice are more likely to consider municipal restrictions as NIMBYness.

To frame it differently:

  • Is it “NIMBY” to prohibit a package store or a smoke shop in a particular neighborhood/municipality?
  • Is it “NIMBY” to prohibit a pharmacy, grocery store, or plant shop in a particular neighborhood/municipality?
  • If the answer to the two prior questions were “no” and “yes”… then I would conjecture that the answer to the question, “is it ‘NIMBY’ to prohibit a cannabis dispensary…” can be predicted by how cannabis use is viewed.

I think it’s NIMBY to want the liquor store convenient to your home, but not too close. And to want a new prison, but not in your town. I don’t think it’s NIMBY to think liquor stores should be outlawed, and also not want one near your home.

So there’s probably a mix. Maybe some of the people who don’t want a dispensary on the street corner want one a couple miles away, so they can buy their weed. You can accuse those people of NIMBYism. But i think most of the people who object to dispensaries also object to legalized weed. Which is a different issue, best described by something other than “NIMBY”.

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If you are not opposed to something, but don’t want it in your neighborhood that’s NIMBY.

If you oppose something and also don’t want it in your neighborhood, that’s not nimby.

So in this case anyone who is NOT opposed to MJ sales but don’t want the dispensary in their neighborhood would be NIMBY.

Someone who says “we should build more prisons, but not here” is classic NIMBY as is someone who says, “we should build more high density housing, but not here”, it’s no different than “weed should be legal, but we don’t need to be selling it where I can smell it”

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Curious on your take for the situation where someone doesn’t like the smell of weed at all.

Should they then be opposed to having the substance available at all in order to not be viewed as part of the NIMBY crowd?

Not sure. I’d guess not all NIMBY is bad NIMBY. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of NIMBY plenty of times. I mean I love bacon, but I don’t want a pig farm in my neighborhood.

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