To the editor:
The Link for Hope Coalition is a community-based organization whose vision and purpose is to promote the health, safety, and quality of life for all youth, families, and communities in southern Aroostook.
The mission of the Link for Hope Coalition is to enhance the quality of life in southern Aroostook by reducing problems related to alcohol and other drug use and teen suicide.
As the co-chairs of this group, we are disappointed, saddened and shocked by the headline “Houlton rolls out welcome mat for marijuana businesses.” We all know, without quoting statistics, that there are many individuals and families in our southern Aroostook area affected by addictions. In the many conversations that we have had with our community members in the past, their addictions have begun with alcohol or marijuana use. For clarification purposes, we are not saying everyone who drinks alcohol or uses marijuana will misuse them; however, it is a common path.
We are disappointed because, as a group, we have worked for many years to bring awareness to the public about the addiction problem in our community and to support healthy choices for our youth. By opening the doors for recreational marijuana businesses our town leaders are sending a message that they support the use of substances for recreation. This is not the message that we have been trying to share. Can’t we have fun without using substances?
We are saddened by the choice of the town council to think that the retail marijuana business would bolster our area’s declining economic health. Are we contributing to our area having an attractive workforce to any potential business that may wish to relocate here? We are standing out as different from other towns in Maine that are enacting moratoriums for recreational marijuana businesses in their communities, before the State has even developed the rules to manage use of this substance!
We are shocked at what we are seeing as the public’s apathy about the Town Council’s decision. We have heard no outcry from our communities. Hopefully we are wrong and people do care!
We know that it is now legal in Maine to use marijuana recreationally. We also know that our town has chosen to support these businesses. Recognizing what has already been put in place we still are focused on enhancing the quality of life in our southern Aroostook area.
In February of last year, we had a very enlightening meeting with many members of our community, representing various sectors. The clear message from that meeting was the need to support the people in our area that are diligently working to maintain their sobriety.
We would like our community to get involved in helping us continue our planning for a Peer Recovery Center. If you would like more information or want to help please join us! We are having a meeting on Monday, April 10th at 6:30 p.m. in the Center for Education at Houlton Regional Hospital.
Rebecca Miller
Trudy Rairdon
Link for Hope co-chairs
