“I have voted to decriminalize cannabis possession in the past, but I believe legalizing recreational cannabis use just goes too far. Many people in the recovery community have reached out to me with their concerns about legalizing cannabis and considering how the pandemic has only exacerbated the opioid crisis in the North Country, I do not want to rush into legalizing recreational cannabis as a way to raise state revenue. I also have issues with the plan to distribute the revenue raised by taxing cannabis sales and am worried about how law enforcement will be able to regulate driving under the influence of cannabis. There are just too many possible repercussions of legalizing recreational use for me to support this legislation.”