Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles, Ray Cardello, 8/1/24, Volume 1-31

I may be the only 70-year-old guy in America who has never taken an illegal drug. I remember when Bill Clinton proudly proclaimed he had never inhaled a joint, and I thought big deal, Bill, I have never even held one. I am not bragging or trying to put myself on a pedestal for never experimenting because it was out of fear. I have a fear of losing control, and that fear has kept me on the straight-and-narrow path with recreational drugs. We spend our summers in Maine on the beautiful Bear Pond and do a lot of driving on Route 4. My sweetheart’s brother is a retired Maine State Trooper (thank you for your service, Ted), and he always reminds me that Route 4 was called “Death Highway” for as long as he can remember. That is why I could not fathom that Route 4 would become the Pot Shop Alley that it has. In the short 12-mile stretch between Turner and Jay on Route 4, there were 13 pot shops. You won’t find that many Dunkin shops on any road in America. I was scared to think about the condition of every driver coming at me on the two-lane thrill ride. Before we exchange the lone pine tree with a marijuana leaf on the state flag, I think it is time for Mainers to smarten up and grow up.

Here is a Cannabis Timeline for Maine:

• 1976 – Maine’s legislature decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis.
• 1999 – Voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing medical cannabis for patients suffering from serious health issues.
• 2009 – Voters approved a ballot initiative expanding the state’s existing medical cannabis program.
• 2016 – Voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing the possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults and establishing a regulated cannabis market.
• 2020 – Regulated adult-use sales begin on October 9, 2020.

Today, there are over 170 licensed marijuana retail outlets, over 220 illegal Chinese pot farms, and 164 Dunkin’ Donuts shops in Maine. It is nice to know that all of those folks smoking pot while driving the winding back roads of Maine are wide awake on a caffeine high, too. On my last trip north on Route 4, I was thrilled to see one of the pot dispensaries out of business. I hate to see any business shut down, as I went through that trauma when I closed my convenience store, Ray’s Country Corner, in 1995, but I cannot see these pot shops close quickly enough.

The Maine government is high on the tax revenue cultivated by pot sales, and Marijuana is now the third-ranked revenue producer behind lumber and lobsters. Regardless of what marijuana usage does to the social fiber of Maine, the state government will never turn off the cash spigot of pot.

It is not my place to tell any adult how to live their lives. In this case, we must look at the impact on society, families, and the safety of individuals and those around them. There is a reason I have to take random urine tests to drive my school bus. When you get behind the wheel of any vehicle or navigate your way through life, it is best to have a clear head. So skip the adult herb shop and grab yourself a Dunkin’ instead.