Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Billerica - You'll be able to smoke marijuana in your home in less than 10 days if you're at least 21 years old, and cities and towns can't do anything about it.
However, communities can have some control on the sale of recreational marijuana within their borders, an option that Billerica will vote on at its next Town Meeting.
On Monday, the Board of Selectmen directed the town manager to craft a warrant article that would create a minimum one-year moratorium on the sale of recreational marijuana in town establishments. That warrant article is expected to be voted on at May's spring Town Meeting.
Also, the board voted for Town Manager John Curran to assemble a team of town department heads to study this potential moratorium.
"There are serious questions that we want answers to (about recreational marijuana legalization)," Curran said at Monday's selectmen meeting. "We have questions and concerns with implementation, enforcement and local control.
"The local control is the biggest issue," he added. "What type of regulations need to be adopted? It's an answer we need to know."
Billerica residents supported recreational marijuana legalization by about 1,000 votes on Nov. 8. Question 4 passed 11,435 to 10,460 in town, 52 percent to 48 percent.
Because Question 4 passed across the state, it will be legal to smoke marijuana in your home as of Dec. 15, but the first recreational dispensary won't open until 2018 at the earliest.
Some communities want to have regulations in place when that's allowed.
For instance, the town of Ashland has already had a special Town Meeting for a marijuana moratorium. With Town Meeting's approval, Ashland will have more than a year to approve zoning regulations.
Then in Billerica Monday night, Curran advised that the town should look into a moratorium.
"I recommend a one year, so we can go through all of this and see what the state is going to do over the next year," the town manager told selectmen.
More than three years ago, Billerica Town Meeting approved a temporary moratorium on medical-marijuana treatment centers. This allowed time for Billerica to figure out zoning regulations for the facilities.
Then in the fall of 2014, Town Meeting voted to establish an overlay district, meaning the town has a dedicated area for any proposed medical-marijuana dispensaries; they can only be located in an industrial zone around Republic Road, Esquire Road and Sterling Road, near the Route 3 exit for Treble Cove Road.
There are currently proposals for medical-marijuana dispensaries in Billerica.
"What is the impact of Question 4 on medical-marijuana facilities?" Curran said on Monday. "We also need to figure that out."
Billerica Police Chief Dan Rosa called the recreational marijuana ballot question "very, very complicated."
"I don't claim to fully understand this," Rosa told selectmen.
"There's a lot of work being done in the background (among police) to figure out what's the best avenue to move forward for local control over sales," he added.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Billerica Town Meeting To Vote On Moratorium On Recreational Marijuana
Author: Rick Sobey
Contact: 978-458-7100
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Lowell Sun
However, communities can have some control on the sale of recreational marijuana within their borders, an option that Billerica will vote on at its next Town Meeting.
On Monday, the Board of Selectmen directed the town manager to craft a warrant article that would create a minimum one-year moratorium on the sale of recreational marijuana in town establishments. That warrant article is expected to be voted on at May's spring Town Meeting.
Also, the board voted for Town Manager John Curran to assemble a team of town department heads to study this potential moratorium.
"There are serious questions that we want answers to (about recreational marijuana legalization)," Curran said at Monday's selectmen meeting. "We have questions and concerns with implementation, enforcement and local control.
"The local control is the biggest issue," he added. "What type of regulations need to be adopted? It's an answer we need to know."
Billerica residents supported recreational marijuana legalization by about 1,000 votes on Nov. 8. Question 4 passed 11,435 to 10,460 in town, 52 percent to 48 percent.
Because Question 4 passed across the state, it will be legal to smoke marijuana in your home as of Dec. 15, but the first recreational dispensary won't open until 2018 at the earliest.
Some communities want to have regulations in place when that's allowed.
For instance, the town of Ashland has already had a special Town Meeting for a marijuana moratorium. With Town Meeting's approval, Ashland will have more than a year to approve zoning regulations.
Then in Billerica Monday night, Curran advised that the town should look into a moratorium.
"I recommend a one year, so we can go through all of this and see what the state is going to do over the next year," the town manager told selectmen.
More than three years ago, Billerica Town Meeting approved a temporary moratorium on medical-marijuana treatment centers. This allowed time for Billerica to figure out zoning regulations for the facilities.
Then in the fall of 2014, Town Meeting voted to establish an overlay district, meaning the town has a dedicated area for any proposed medical-marijuana dispensaries; they can only be located in an industrial zone around Republic Road, Esquire Road and Sterling Road, near the Route 3 exit for Treble Cove Road.
There are currently proposals for medical-marijuana dispensaries in Billerica.
"What is the impact of Question 4 on medical-marijuana facilities?" Curran said on Monday. "We also need to figure that out."
Billerica Police Chief Dan Rosa called the recreational marijuana ballot question "very, very complicated."
"I don't claim to fully understand this," Rosa told selectmen.
"There's a lot of work being done in the background (among police) to figure out what's the best avenue to move forward for local control over sales," he added.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Billerica Town Meeting To Vote On Moratorium On Recreational Marijuana
Author: Rick Sobey
Contact: 978-458-7100
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Lowell Sun
