Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Danvers joined a growing list of Massachusetts towns to pass a temporary moratorium on opening recreational marijuana shops.
Town Meeting members voted Monday to accept the moratorium, which Danvers administrators and planners have said will give the town more time to figure out how to handle the recently legalized substance in town.
There were 123 voting members of the body at Danvers annual Town Meeting, and all but a few voted to accept the moratorium article as it was written in the town warrant.
Some debate did arrise surrounding the proposed delay of letting recreational shops in town.
Mark Zuberek, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 7, argued the town of Danvers already voted against recreational marijuana in a statewide ballot initiative.
"I think our voters have made a decision that they do not want marijuana in this town," he said. "We have medical marijuana already. We have developed the zone and that's where its going to be held, and now we're trying to expand that issue."
He referenced the November 2016 vote, when Danvers voted 7,253 in favor and 8,006 votes in opposition of legalizing recreational marijuana.
He said many other towns in Massachusetts have already passed, by vote or petition, a ban on the sale or use of marijuana in their towns.
Some of those towns include Westborough and Middleton, which have already passed a ban on the retail sale of the drug. Meanwhile, Boxford, Topsfield, Hamilton and Wenham have all approved temporary moratoriums through mid to late 2018.
The moratorium allows more time for the town to address the potential impacts of recreational marijuana in Danvers, consider the Cannabis Control Board's regulations on marijuana, and consider adopting new zoning provisions for the sale of marijuana, according to Article 39. Currently, the town's zoning bylaws do not address "marijuana establishments" in Danvers, although a 2014 Town Meeting approved a registered medical marijuana overlay zone in two sections of town – Cherry Hill Industrial Park and Danvers Industrial Park. No dispensaries have since opened.
The proposed moratorium would also allow time for the town to decide whether it should allow on-site consumption of marijuana products, or if it should impose an outright ban on the establishment of such shops.
Earlier in the evening, Town Meeting accepted Article 8, an article dealing with the consumption of alcohol on town-owned properties.
Article 8 amended the town bylaw that allows for the consumption of alcohol on town-owned land by including Endicott Park to the list of properties that can be granted one-day liquor licenses for various occasions.
There was some concern on this article put forth by Town Meeting members, suggesting Endicott Park was not an appropriate place for the consumption of alcohol, nor could drinking realistically be controlled within its premises.
Rick Bettencourt said weddings in particular could pose problems, and Town Meeting member Sally Kerans agreed.
"[Endicott Park] is a place where at any given time you could have five different activities going on ... the kids, barnyard, and I think it's a little naïve to think you can control the migration of alcohol throughout that," Kerans said. "It's very worrisome."
Selectmen Gardner Trask said people will be on the property to maintain the flow of alcohol.
"Weddings occur at Endicott Park today," he said. "They use the Carriage House ... It's not intended as a revenue service, it's more of a public service. ... They – the people who cater or have TIPS certification – make sure public drunkenness doesn't happen."
Ultimately, Article 8 passed with the amendment to include Endicott Park on the list of town-owned properties eligible to apply for a one-day liquor license.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Moratorium on recreational marijuana passes in Danvers - News - Danvers Herald - Danvers, MA
Author: Mary Byrne
Contact: Contact Us - Danvers Herald - Danvers, MA
Photo Credit: Edward the Bonobo
Website: Danvers Herald: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Danvers, MA
Town Meeting members voted Monday to accept the moratorium, which Danvers administrators and planners have said will give the town more time to figure out how to handle the recently legalized substance in town.
There were 123 voting members of the body at Danvers annual Town Meeting, and all but a few voted to accept the moratorium article as it was written in the town warrant.
Some debate did arrise surrounding the proposed delay of letting recreational shops in town.
Mark Zuberek, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 7, argued the town of Danvers already voted against recreational marijuana in a statewide ballot initiative.
"I think our voters have made a decision that they do not want marijuana in this town," he said. "We have medical marijuana already. We have developed the zone and that's where its going to be held, and now we're trying to expand that issue."
He referenced the November 2016 vote, when Danvers voted 7,253 in favor and 8,006 votes in opposition of legalizing recreational marijuana.
He said many other towns in Massachusetts have already passed, by vote or petition, a ban on the sale or use of marijuana in their towns.
Some of those towns include Westborough and Middleton, which have already passed a ban on the retail sale of the drug. Meanwhile, Boxford, Topsfield, Hamilton and Wenham have all approved temporary moratoriums through mid to late 2018.
The moratorium allows more time for the town to address the potential impacts of recreational marijuana in Danvers, consider the Cannabis Control Board's regulations on marijuana, and consider adopting new zoning provisions for the sale of marijuana, according to Article 39. Currently, the town's zoning bylaws do not address "marijuana establishments" in Danvers, although a 2014 Town Meeting approved a registered medical marijuana overlay zone in two sections of town – Cherry Hill Industrial Park and Danvers Industrial Park. No dispensaries have since opened.
The proposed moratorium would also allow time for the town to decide whether it should allow on-site consumption of marijuana products, or if it should impose an outright ban on the establishment of such shops.
Earlier in the evening, Town Meeting accepted Article 8, an article dealing with the consumption of alcohol on town-owned properties.
Article 8 amended the town bylaw that allows for the consumption of alcohol on town-owned land by including Endicott Park to the list of properties that can be granted one-day liquor licenses for various occasions.
There was some concern on this article put forth by Town Meeting members, suggesting Endicott Park was not an appropriate place for the consumption of alcohol, nor could drinking realistically be controlled within its premises.
Rick Bettencourt said weddings in particular could pose problems, and Town Meeting member Sally Kerans agreed.
"[Endicott Park] is a place where at any given time you could have five different activities going on ... the kids, barnyard, and I think it's a little naïve to think you can control the migration of alcohol throughout that," Kerans said. "It's very worrisome."
Selectmen Gardner Trask said people will be on the property to maintain the flow of alcohol.
"Weddings occur at Endicott Park today," he said. "They use the Carriage House ... It's not intended as a revenue service, it's more of a public service. ... They – the people who cater or have TIPS certification – make sure public drunkenness doesn't happen."
Ultimately, Article 8 passed with the amendment to include Endicott Park on the list of town-owned properties eligible to apply for a one-day liquor license.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Moratorium on recreational marijuana passes in Danvers - News - Danvers Herald - Danvers, MA
Author: Mary Byrne
Contact: Contact Us - Danvers Herald - Danvers, MA
Photo Credit: Edward the Bonobo
Website: Danvers Herald: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Danvers, MA
