Town Meeting should reject extended moratorium on cannabis

When the ballot initiative to legalize the possession and retail sale of cannabis was passed by voters in Massachusetts during the 2016 election, the citizens of Belmont voted by a large majority to support the language of the ballot measure (7,585 residents voted in favor, while 6,868 residents voted against). This law was further amended and ratified by the Massachusetts State Legislature following an in-depth period of review lasting over 6 months in spring/summer 2017, which concluded with a compromise committee and final vote of passage in the fall of that year. While such delays undermined the will of the voters in the Commonwealth (who had approved the measure by a 54%-46% majority), they also ensured regulatory oversight of the nascent industry would be cogent, erudite and in line with those conditions established by the electorate. That the Cannabis Control Commission has given a further 18 months of study to the issue, refusing to grant even a single license in the interim, is an indication that the industry is subject to more than adequate controls on the state level.

As such, much like when Belmont Town Meeting rightfully rejected a petition by a small group of citizens (numbering only about 250 or so) to prevent any cannabis establishments from opening in Belmont, I now urge all Town Meeting members in Belmont to reject the insidious proposal by yet another small group of citizens (again, numbering only around 250) seeking to extend a moratorium on recreational cannabis licenses until June of 2019. Such a moratorium would only serve to undermine the will of the voters in the town of Belmont (who voted by an overwhelming 80%-20% margin to license up to 2 recreational cannabis retail shops in late September of 2018), and would only further deprive this town of tax revenue which is desperately needed to sustain our woefully under-funded schools and public services.

While I fully supported the tax override which was recently on the ballot in Belmont to ensure funding for a new 7-12 school, I am left to wonder why this Town is forced to turn to tax overrides of that nature time and time again if not our shrinking commercial tax base. Home owners should not have to bear the burden of the collapse of Belmont’s commercial tax base, and further extending the moratorium on cannabis retailers does nothing but continue to expedite that collapse.

In that regard, I would also implore Town Meeting members in Belmont to reject the proposed zoning restrictions on the two retail cannabis stores which will be coming to Belmont. Driving away that tax revenue, by forcing the two locations to operate within 0.5 miles of one another (on the same street no less) will only further induce stagnation in the Town’s commercial tax revenue (and thus place a higher burden on tax paying homeowners come the next override).

Furthermore, those who express concern with regards an increase in youth access to cannabis due to the location of a given retail operation would be well heeded to read the following study, published Feb. 23rd, 2018, which makes clear that an increase in legal access to cannabis (in states like Colorado and Massachusetts) results in no measureable increase in youth consumption (with one of the studies models actually showing a decrease in youth consumption as the social stigma around cannabis recedes). That study can be found at the following reference; Grucza, Rick and Krauss, Melissa and Plunk, Andrew and Agrawal, Arpana and Chaloupka, Frank J. and Bierut, Laura, Cannabis Decriminalization: A Study of Recent Policy Change in Five States (Feb. 23, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3129032 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3129032.


For those reasons, I implore all Town Meetings members to reject the outdated and out of touch proposed moratorium along with the proposed limit on zoning on cannabis retail establishments. The citizens of this town have voted twice, with overwhelming majorities, to support 2 retail cannabis establishments in Belmont; any attempt to stymie, undermine, or reject the will of those voters is nothing short of a slap in the face to this Republic at large.

My regards and sincere appreciation for your consideration,

Grant Ellis

A citizen of Belmont