Concerns voiced by the first selectman, the police chief, the town social services director, and a state representative persuaded the Planning and Zoning Commission it might not be time for medical marijuana facilities in Ridgefield. "From a law-enforcement perspective, do I want to see more and more people coming in, potentially driving under the influence?" police Chief John Roche said. "No, I don't." The commission voted 6-to-2 Tuesday night, Oct. 27, to have Town Planner Betty Brosius put together a regulation prohibiting medical marijuana facilities in Ridgefield. [continues 1092 words]
Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) has called for the General Assembly to reject proposed legislation that would "erode the progress made over the years to combat marijuana usage." Senator Boucher, whose district covers Ridgefield, recently testified before the legislature's Judiciary Committee, opposing Senate Bill 349, An Act Concerning the Penalty for Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana. The bill would decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana by classifying it as an infraction. Currently, first time offenders convicted of possessing up to four ounces of marijuana are subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 and, or, a maximum prison sentence of one year. [continues 407 words]
Being a parent means flying blind. And the cloud cover thickens in middle school and high school, the years of changing bodies, tyrannical social pressures, parties, alcohol, drugs - and those stunted, five syllable conversations between parents and teens. "A lot of parents are seriously in denial," said Steve Kangos, a Ridgefield High School senior. "If you told them 85% of the kids at the high school drink, they'd just balk at it." Even when teenagers get caught, he said, many parents believe what they want to believe. "A lot of parents, they find an excuse to tell themselves why it's not their kid's fault: He was just there. He was pressured into it. It was someone else." [continues 1799 words]
A "police presence" including both a student resource officer and the drug-sniffing police dog will be used in Ridgefield High School, town officials have decided. After an executive session of the Board of Education on school security Monday, Dec. 11, School Superintendent Kenneth Freeston announced that the police dog would be used at the high school. "A part of the Ridgefield High School's commitment to zero tolerance will be utilizing a canine presence at Ridgefield High School. We will not be commenting any further on that; to do so would reveal the nature of investigative work that we do," he said. [continues 209 words]
Joey Lucisano was a typical teenager. He liked skateboarding, listening to music and hanging out with his friends. He also liked smoking pot. The 17-year-old Ridgefield High senior committed suicide Nov. 14 because, his friends say, his drug use went from recreational to something he could no longer control. His parents say they know their son wasn't buying drugs in his neighborhood and certainly wasn't using at home. [continues 786 words]
Accusations that drug dealing is "rampant" at Ridgefield High School are nothing new to school and town officials, who say they know the problem exists and is getting worse. However, Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Freeston said claims by parents that the district is trying to cover up the problems are simply not true. "We've acknowledged there is a problem with alcohol and substance abuse for the past three years, publicly acknowledged this," Dr. Freeston said. "We've been working very closely with various town agencies to address the problem. But, I have to say Ridgefield is no different than other nearby towns or the rest of Fairfield County in this respect." [continues 896 words]
