A group of Guilford high school students and community coalition volunteers are urging town officials to reject any efforts to open a medical marijuana dispensary in town. The group came to a recent Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) meeting—and plan to make a return visit at a future PZC meeting to further outline their objections to such a facility.

There are no current plans to open a medical marijuana plant in town, but the group noted that neighboring towns, such as Branford, have opened such facilities in the past year—and, they added, more are opening throughout the state every month.

Dana Hilmer, prevention coordinator for Developmental Assets for Youth (DAY), called it a “public health issue” for the town of Guilford.

Anthony Slate, a Guilford High School junior, and other students at the meeting, told zoners that having a medical marijuana facility in town, even if it is operating legally, sets a bad precedent.

“I’ve lost many friends because I wasn’t cool enough to do drugs,” said Slate. “This is just a bad idea.”

DAY is a community coalition comprised of volunteers from the Guilford community, including parents, youth, community leaders, law enforcement, and other sectors.

On its website www.itsworthitguilford.org, DAY describes its missions as “working to reduce high-risk behaviors such as underage drinking and other illicit youth substance use and provides our youth with the opportunities, skills and values they need to grow into healthy caring and responsible adults.”

In Branford, Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut has been operating a medical marijuana dispensary for a year. The site, situated behind Planet Fitness on East Main Street, serves patients who register with the state Department of Consumer Protection.

The registered patients may legally consume products including brownies, cookies, e-cigarette liquid, and pills made at the state’s four wholesale growing facilities.