Following discussions at several meetings, the Walden Village Board set a public hearing on Sept. 7 for opting out of allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site cannabis consumption establishments.

Village Attorney Dave Donovan noted that the village has until the end of the year to opt out of allowing the dispensaries. To consider opting out, the village is required to have a public hearing followed by a vote. After that there is a 45-day period for a permissive referendum. If the village board does not take action on the matter then cannabis dispensaries will be permitted.

Trustee Lynn Thompson noted that the county believes municipalities will incur more police costs if they opt in. Depending on what those costs are they could significantly lower the amount of tax revenue municipalities will receive. The only reason why Thompson would consider opting in is that marijuana that is sold on the streets is often laced with other substances.

“With a dispensary you would have quality control,” she said. “The product would not be tainted. That in my mind is the only plus, but I would like to see the village opt out, knowing that at some point next year after we see what’s happening in neighboring communities we would still have the opportunity to opt in if we chose to do so.”

Trustee Patricia Maher is also in favor of opting out of allowing cannabis dispensaries in Walden.

“At the end of the day there’s not enough concrete evidence out there on how this is gonna be regulated,” she said. “The regulatory governing body hasn’t even been finalized yet, so I just feel there’s so much misinformation and lack of concrete information on how this is gonna be regulated that we can’t make a clear decision at this point.”

Trustee Cheryl Baker is in favor of opting out of allowing the dispensaries because the village can opt in as they see how everything develops over time. After hearing that the county was considering opting out of allowing dispensaries, Trustee Brian Sebring felt the village should opt out. Deputy Mayor Willie Carley has seen drugs and alcohol tear families apart and does not see a benefit to using either recreationally. Due to this, Carley is in favor of opting out.

Mayor John Ramos is in favor of opting out of allowing dispensaries because he believes marijuana is detrimental to a person’s health.

“I think the government itself by legalizing this, I don’t know what they were thinking about,” he said. “They just created yet another monster.”

The public hearing for opting out of allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site cannabis consumption establishments will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Walden Village Hall, 1 Municipal Square, Walden.