Northwest CT police concerned about proximity of pot in Mass.

Theory Wellness in Great Barrington, Mass., opened less than a week ago to crowds in the hundreds. The facility is just 35 miles from Torrington. Theory Wellness in Great Barrington, Mass., opened less than a week ago to crowds in the hundreds. The facility is just 35 miles from Torrington. Photo: Stephanie Zollshan / Associated Press Photo: Stephanie Zollshan / Associated Press Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Northwest CT police concerned about proximity of pot in Mass. 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

TORRINGTON — There’s no telling how many Connecticut residents have traveled to Massachusetts to buy retail marijuana from the first facility to open in the Berkshires.

But the outlet, in Great Barrington, Mass. is a concern for Torrington Police Chief William Baldwin, a former state trooper for Troop B in Canaan.

The dispensary is just 35 miles from the city, and he said he’s worried about area residents who head over the border to buy pot.

They could “smoke it where it’s legal and be under the influence when they come back (to Connecticut,” he said. “It could cause accidents.”

“It will come through our state and through our communities,” Baldwin said.

He noted that the Police Department has an officer specifically trained to test drivers who are under the influence of marijuana or other drugs.

Officer Matthew Fifer was trained to detect drug use in drivers through a program sponsored by the National Highway Safety Administration.

“With the legalization of marijuana, it’s a major concern,” Fifer said.

“There are some tests that are done roadside that give the indication of being under the influence of marijuana,” Fifer said. “It’s based on eyes and physiology.”

Fifer received “sealed evaluation” training in April at the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix.

The site is chosen, Fifer said, because it’s the only jail in the entire county, and very busy. The evaluation allowed him to test inmates who volunteered for the program.

“Lots of (prisoners) are in and out of there, and under the influence. You can test their impairment,” Fifer said.

Winchester Police Sgt. Kevin Kinahan said no special patrols have been planned in this first week of the retail store opening in Great Barrington but “If they decide to transport marijuana (into the state) and they get caught, we will cite them.”

However, Kinahan noted, “We can’t do a road block or checkpoints,” for cars coming into the state.

“That would create a legal problem if we stopped cars heading from Massachusetts to Connecticut,” he said.

“We can’t legally track people,” Kinahan said. “We will be diligent in enforcing marijuana laws.”

The Connecticut State Police also said troopers would enforce the laws “the same way we always have.”

Department spokesman Trooper Josue J. Dorelus said in a statement that “officers have to be aware of the changes in laws taking place in surrounding states so that we may better anticipate how these changes may affect our own state.”

The first license issued for a medical marijuana facility in Torrington is an additional concern for Baldwin.

C-3 Ventures, LLC, owned by Thomas Macre of Orange, leased the building at 3568 Winsted Road, where he plans to open the city’s first dispensary to serve those with a registration certificate to buy marijuana.

The empty concrete brick building in the Still River Plaza is just down the road from Burr Pond State Park and across the street from Marino's Restaurant on Pinewoods Road.

By law, Macre must open the facility by within 180 days of receiving the certificate. The timeline for the opening would be mid-summer at the latest.

The building is empty and doesn’t have any signs yet to distinguish it as a future medical marijuana dispensary.

“The writing is on the wall,” Baldwin said. He believes retail marijuana will be approved fairly soon.

“Police chiefs and the law enforcement community are concerned,” he said. “It sends the wrong message. We combat alcohol, what kind of message does this send our youth?”

He said he’s afraid that if pot is legalized, it will be used in public and not in private. If adults want to smoke it in the privacy of their homes, Baldwin said he doesn’t have a problem with it.

There is a warning, however, connected with his statement: Just don’t drive.