Residents voted on Monday during the annual town meeting to adopt a new general town by-law, prohibiting all types of recreational marijuana establishments from East Bridgewater.
EAST BRIDGEWATER – Residents voted on Monday during the annual town meeting to adopt a new general town bylaw, prohibiting all types of recreational marijuana establishments from East Bridgewater.
The new restriction applies to non-medical marijuana establishments, including marijuana cultivators, testing facilities, product manufacturers and retailers.
Several residents opposing the bylaw stood before the town meeting and posed questions for the town officials.
“How do you plan to replace the revenue we will lose?” one resident asked.
EB HOPE director Susan Silva was a strong supporter of adopting the bylaw.
Silva told the audience, “We could be opening Pandora’s box,” Silva said. “The amount of money we would receive is not worth our children’s lives, it’s really not.”
Other residents countered this logic with a comparison to alcohol restrictions in the state.
Ultimately, the vote passed.
Officials plan to now hold a special town election, asking voters a similar ballot question.
There was much discussion from residents prior to the vote.
The special election is projected to take place in either late June of early July, Selectman David Sheedy said.
The town is taking this additional, arguably redundant, step and holding an election at the recommendation of the Massachusetts attorney general’s office.
Because the new state marijuana legalization law that voters passed in the November national election is still so new and vaguely written, the attorney general’s office has recommended that municipalities that wish to opt out of having recreational marijuana establishments in town should take three steps to ensure the town’s decision is upheld further down the line.
The attorney general’s office recommends towns pass both a general by-law and a zoning by-law prohibiting marijuana establishments, as well as hold a vote of the people, according to town attorney Chris Kenny.
The Planning Board decided at their recent meeting to table discussion of a adopting a new zoning bylaw until after residents have confirmed through the special town election that the town wishes to opt out.
Several other towns in the region have taken similar steps to restrict marijuana facilities in town.
On Dec. 14, West Bridgewater became the first town to gain state approval on a moratorium that prohibits recreational marijuana establishments through June 30, 2018.
In Stoughton, residents voted on April 3 to ban recreational marijuana shops.
On April 26, Scituate approved a moratorium on commercial recreational marijuana in town through Nov. 30, 2018.
Norwell, who also held it’s town meeting Monday, passed a general by-law and a temporary moratorium that will ban the sale and distribution of recreational marijuana in town.
In Raynham, residents are expected to decide at the annual town meeting scheduled for May 15 whether to ban retail marijuana establishments from setting up shop in town.
credit:enterprisenews.com
