Radnor KOs talk on legal weed, safe injection sites

RADNOR » Although there are no plans on the table, Radnor officials discussed last week whether they should impose regulations related to marijuana distribution for recreational use - if the state were to approve it.

Once that debate was over, they took on a possible ban for a safe injection site.

No action was taken on either issue, and both topics were left on the table for possible future discussions.

So, why were they brought up?

The two issues were raised separately by Ward 7 Commissioner Sean Farhy and discussed as part of the meeting of the Radnor Board of Commissioners.

Farhy described his view on both issues as wanting to take a proactive stance.

The recreational use of marijuana came up at a public meeting in March. At that meeting, plans were outlined for a medical marijuana dispensary to be located on the site of a former pizza shop in the Garrett Hill section of Radnor.

Although there was little opposition to the medical marijuana dispensary, many residents at that meeting, included Farhy, voiced opposition in allowing the sale of marijuana for non-medical use.

Despite a push to allow the legal sale of marijuana for non-medical use in Pennsylvania, its sale is currently limited to medical use.

The idea behind his plan was for the township to have some regulation in place before the state expands the use of recreational marijuana.

“I want to be proactive when it comes to what happens if recreational marijuana does become legal,” Farhy said.

With an apparent lack of interest from other commissioners, the idea was quickly tabled.

Immediately following the brief discussion of the marijuana issue, the safe injection site issue was raised.

Over the past couple of years, a battle raged in Philadelphia that would have allowed a site for drug users to bring in their own heroin and inject it with medical personnel present. The idea behind the safe injection site is to help prevent overdoses.

Similar to the marijuana issue, Farhy said he wanted to be proactive on the issue.

Referencing the discussion in Philadelphia, Farhy said, “…you need to be proactive. You need to put something on the books. “

“Heroin … itself is illegal,” Farhy said. “But to allow people to do it in a legal fashion has no place in Radnor and I don’t want it here. Again, either you are for safe injection sites, or you’re not, and I don’t want them in Radnor.”

Mary Eberle, with the township solicitor’s office, clarified a portion of Farhy’s comments by saying there are currently no legal injection sites anywhere in the United States. Although there had been a plan to allow one in Philadelphia, it was later dropped, and the landlord reportedly canceled the lease. In the end, the facility never opened.

With no one having brought in any plans for a safe injection site to Radnor,

other commissioners didn’t believe they needed to discuss it.

“I caution us not to be the not-in-my-backyard township, especially when these aren’t even laws on the books yet,” said Ward 5 Commissioner Moira Mulroney.

Mulroney thought the township could watch the issue and have public discussion around it if the need arises.

Eberle said she thinks the township’s regular solicitor, John Rice, would prefer to advise the board during a closed-door executive session, and then a public discussion could then take place.

With Eberle’s comment, Farhy said he would agree to put a hold on the safe injection site issue and then bring it up at an upcoming meeting.