Last year I took my family to New York City just before Christmas, one of those classic American
holiday experiences. We did all the things the weather allowed, including strolling Central Park
and wading through the sea of people in Times Square to see the Rockettes’ Christmas show at
Radio City Music Hall.

We had a great time, but I wasn’t expecting to explain to my kids that the smell they
encountered on every single street was not Christmas greenery, but rather marijuana.
Recreational weed was legalized in New York in 2021, and now the entire city smells like a
Cheech and Chong movie is being filmed on every corner.

Since that trip, I’ve noted that at least once a week or more, while stopped at an intersection
somewhere in the city of Bowling Green, my nostrils are filled with that same unmistakable smell
wafting from someone’s nearby car, or perhaps from the street.

BG is quickly starting to smell like the Big Apple.

It’s probably something we should get used to since, starting January 1, medical marijuana will
become legal in Kentucky. Unless the Bowling Green City Commission or Warren Fiscal Court
chooses to pass an ordinance opting out, local residents will be able to get a doctor’s
prescription to legally purchase marijuana for several different medical conditions, including
anything the Kentucky Center for Cannabis may deem acceptable in the future.
To be perfectly fair, Kentucky’s legal and regulatory regime around medical cannabis is probably
one of the strictest in the country.

Patients may not legally drive cars while under the influence.
Employers may prohibit their employees from using it. And there are many legitimate arguments
for why patients with certain conditions should have access to medical pot.
But we should make no mistake that legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is a step toward
full decriminalization for recreation use, something that has already happened in 24 states. And
the potential medical and financial benefits of legal marijuana need to be carefully weighed
against inevitable social costs, including increased rates of addiction, law enforcement
challenges, and the general diminishment of quality of life for the community.

Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman has shared the additional steps his officers are taking to
prepare for medical marijuana.

“Speaking with our law enforcement partners from states that
already have relaxed marijuana laws, whether it is medicinal or recreational, we know that DUIs
are one of the things we will most likely see an increase in,” he told the Owensboro Times.
A federal transportation study found that marijuana-related traffic accidents involving injury
increased 475% since 2010.

No wonder that many Kentucky communities have decided they will not host a marijuana
dispensary within their borders. As of this writing, 21 counties and 36 cities have used
provisions in the law to indicate marijuana sales will not be welcome within their jurisdiction.
But with roughly half of all Americans supporting full legalization, it’s probably inevitable that we
will have to accept the smell of cannabis, and all its social side effects, as a routine part of our
community’s life.
Get ready for a new kind of “green” in Bowling Green.

Gary Houchens, PhD, is professor of education administration and director of the educational
leadership doctoral program at Western Kentucky University