There has been plenty of discourse occurring on local social networks since The Newtown Bee first reported local officials were seeking to provisionally ban any adult use cannabis retail operations in our community.

The plan was first floated by First Selectman Dan Rosenthal last month, just ahead of adult use of cannabis becoming legal in Connecticut July 1. A subsequent Board of Selectmen endorsement of the ban was affirmed by our Planning & Zoning Commission just a few days later — seemingly in as little time as it took for Connecticut’s legalization efforts to go from concept to reality.

Perhaps the biggest issue from a community engagement standpoint is that none of the ban’s apparent opponents who chattered away and tossed character assassinations at local officials online showed up to make their opinions known where it counts — in person to our P&Z commissioners.

We do know a UFCW 919 union rep traveled down from Farmington to suggest the ban would be a “vote against working people,” and called for Newtown to instead implement a “merit-based application system” so interested cannabis proponents could apply to set up shop here.

At the same time, memos supporting the ban from the Newtown Parent Connection and State Senator Tony Hwang were presented, as was input from Health District Director Donna Culbert and Planning Director George Benson.

One of the notions floated by social network natterers is that Newtown should welcome cannabis retail businesses simply because the community already has plenty of package stores. What is (surprise!) missing from virtually all that internet gab are a lot of pesky facts to dampen the ignition points of controversy-stoking. So here are a few key ones to, as one quaint saying goes, “put in your pipe and smoke.”

Under the new legislation and where permitted, one pot shop and one “micro-cultivator” or small-scale cannabis grower would be permitted for every 25,000 residents — meaning Newtown could potentially have one of each. On the other hand, the state permits one package store for every 2,500 residents; our community has maxed out its capacity based on that limitation, with 11 at last count. Those arguing that the proliferation of liquor-serving businesses locally has greater potential to contribute to public health problems in the form of alcohol-related afflictions may be correct. But those, including law enforcement and addiction services leaders, who support Newtown’s pot shop ban are doing so because they know today’s potent strains of legal cannabis can negatively affect individuals, especially impressionable youths.

The final point to be made about the P&Z’s ban is that it can be as easily undone. But without it, as the planning director stated at the P&Z meeting, individuals could quickly establish vested rights to open such establishments by simply beginning the state application process, and/or obtaining local space to set up a retail cannabis business. Once that process is started, there is no going back. That is why we are backing our local officials and the provisional ban they codified — coincidentally on July 1 — all the way.