Last week what I expected to experience was a rich deliberation process and decision by the MVC in reference to DRI 696 (recreational cannabis in West Tisbury). Instead, what I experienced was a wandering, shallow and disconnected process which bore no witness to the preservation of the soul of an up-Island community mixed-use business district. Not one provocative question was asked by any of the commissioners. It was rushed through as if everyone had somewhere else to go.

Throughout this process I have heard commissioners say such things as: “There is a need . . . it is not a residential area . . . let Mr. Rose make some money . . . it will not be a problem . . . there has not been an accident there in the last three years . . . we are not in the habit of saying no.”

Do these statements reflect a substantive conversation? Did all the commissioners read all the correspondence?

With the presentation of an invalid traffic study taken during a pandemic with most of the businesses in this area either closed or operating differently, it was determined that traffic will not be an issue. This is merely one of the shortcuts taken by the commission. The bias of the commission was clear during the public hearings with one commissioner actually voicing his frustration that the process was taking place and saying, “we should just vote on it.” This was during public testimony.

I have been under the impression that the point of the MVC was to study the impact of development on our Island communities both near and far term. In this case, they have not done this well or not at all.

The MVC acted on behalf of Mr. Rose and Patient Centric as if they were the chamber of commerce, preserving his “right” to do business in a non-essential service seven days a week with little regard to where that might be appropriate and the essential impact on this community, future development in this area, and what we want our vision for West Tisbury to be going forward.

While I support anyone’s right to make money and create a business, it lacks soul when it reflects ego and not need, profit and not purpose.

Mr. Rose got his foot in the door proposing to provide a medical outlet. That made sense. This does not.

If people want cannabis in West Tisbury, they grow it!

So now the door is wide open to a new precedent.

Dr. Constance Goodwin

West Tisbury