Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Ludlow - The Ludlow Board of Selectmen has joined the growing list of Massachusetts municipalities that support a moratorium on the retail sale of marijuana in the commonwealth, which legalized recreational use of the drug in December.
Selectmen on Tuesday voted to send a letter in support of a moratorium to the Planning Board, which is is responsible for any zoning changes to conform with the state's new recreational pot law.
Over 53 percent of Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative on Nov. 8, 2016, that allows adults 21 and over to possess and use limited amounts of marijuana and grow as many as a dozen marijuana plants in their homes.
The law took effect Dec. 15, but state lawmakers quickly voted to delay full implementation until July 1, 2018, saying they needed more time to tinker with the voter-approved measure before the licensing of retail pot facilities.
"The idea of going forward on a moratorium, along with what many cities and towns around us have done, is the way to go," Brian M. Mannix, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said at Tuesday's meeting.
Other Ludlow boards also support the idea of a moratorium, according to Ellie Villano, Ludlow's town administrator.
"I believe that the Board of Health is very much in favor of this, so I had suggested to them that they send a letter to the Planning Board in support of putting in a moratorium," Villano told selectmen. "I think the Board of Health would like to just ban it from the town completely. I think it's clear under the law that we can't do that."
Delaying retail pot sales is similar to the timeout that was taken after the legalization of medical marijuana in Massachusetts, Villano said.
"I liken it to the moratorium on the medical marijuana that was put in place for a year," she said. "It was to give us the opportunity to determine and decide where we wanted it."
The Planning Board would have to amend local zoning regulations to accommodate the new state law, according to the town administrator.
"If they do take that matter up and move forward, there's going to be a zoning bylaw, which would have to be approved at Town Meeting," Villano said, "so there would be a public hearing, there would be other steps that they take along the way."
On Monday, the West Springfield Town Council extended the expiration date for that city's moratorium on recreational pot facilities to Dec. 31, 2018, which is six months longer than the state's temporary ban on retail sales.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Ludlow Considering Moratorium On Retail Sales Of Recreational Marijuana
Author: Conor Berry
Contact: 413-731-1036
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Website: MassLive
Selectmen on Tuesday voted to send a letter in support of a moratorium to the Planning Board, which is is responsible for any zoning changes to conform with the state's new recreational pot law.
Over 53 percent of Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative on Nov. 8, 2016, that allows adults 21 and over to possess and use limited amounts of marijuana and grow as many as a dozen marijuana plants in their homes.
The law took effect Dec. 15, but state lawmakers quickly voted to delay full implementation until July 1, 2018, saying they needed more time to tinker with the voter-approved measure before the licensing of retail pot facilities.
"The idea of going forward on a moratorium, along with what many cities and towns around us have done, is the way to go," Brian M. Mannix, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said at Tuesday's meeting.
Other Ludlow boards also support the idea of a moratorium, according to Ellie Villano, Ludlow's town administrator.
"I believe that the Board of Health is very much in favor of this, so I had suggested to them that they send a letter to the Planning Board in support of putting in a moratorium," Villano told selectmen. "I think the Board of Health would like to just ban it from the town completely. I think it's clear under the law that we can't do that."
Delaying retail pot sales is similar to the timeout that was taken after the legalization of medical marijuana in Massachusetts, Villano said.
"I liken it to the moratorium on the medical marijuana that was put in place for a year," she said. "It was to give us the opportunity to determine and decide where we wanted it."
The Planning Board would have to amend local zoning regulations to accommodate the new state law, according to the town administrator.
"If they do take that matter up and move forward, there's going to be a zoning bylaw, which would have to be approved at Town Meeting," Villano said, "so there would be a public hearing, there would be other steps that they take along the way."
On Monday, the West Springfield Town Council extended the expiration date for that city's moratorium on recreational pot facilities to Dec. 31, 2018, which is six months longer than the state's temporary ban on retail sales.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Ludlow Considering Moratorium On Retail Sales Of Recreational Marijuana
Author: Conor Berry
Contact: 413-731-1036
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Website: MassLive
