As Grimes sang, "Keep your cancer home, dear," Pontoriero sat up and looked at him. After the song, she spoke up, and called the song offensive, saying it implied the township has banned the use of medical marijuana.
"It's offensive to me as a Stage 4 cancer victim," said Pontoriero, who has been battling a rare oral cancer for two years. "I don't want anyone watching who may be a cancer victim to think they cannot partake in medical marijuana." You can watch the exchange below; it begins 1 hour, 49 minutes into the meeting.
The township so far has not banned the sale or production of medical marijuana, despite intense lobbying by a group of residents who had been fighting a now-withdrawn proposal for a medical marijuana dispensary on Adamston Road.
And despite assertions at the meeting, the Township Council did not make any ruling regarding a proposal by 385 Adamston LLC to open a medical marijuana dispensary. The owners of the property were not among the six chosen statewide in November in a new round of licensing proposals, and the zoning board application was beset by delays over room capacity and notification issues. Land use applications are decided by the planning or zoning boards.
The 385 Adamston LLC owners withdrew the dispensary proposal in March, switching first to a plan to grow marijuana for medical purposes, then to growing hemp, and lastly to growing lettuce — all of which continue to be fought by the residents who opposed the dispensary.