Banning Recreational Pot Shops, Gun Shooting: Town Meeting 2018

WAYLAND, MA—On Nov. 14, 2017, Wayland residents at a Special Town Meeting voted 549 in favor and 97 opposed for a Non-Medical/Recreational Temporary Marijuana Moratorium Zoning Bylaw Amendment.

In last Tuesday's election, a measure also passed to ban recreational businesses in town. The measure, which passed 1,226 to 465, was the first in the final two steps to quite possibly prohibit pot shops for good in Wayland.

Massachusetts requires that a town that voted to legalize recreational marijuana in the 2016 statewide election opt out with votes at a town election and Town Meeting. Wayland supported legalizing marijuana on Question 4 in November 2016, but only by a 78-vote margin.

Now, at a Special Town Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Wayland High School Field House, residents will be asked to vote on a zoning amendment that would effectively prohibit marijuana establishments, other than registered medical marijuana dispensaries, in town.

An approval of Article 7 would ban commercial recreational marijuana establishments that include retail stores selling any type of marijuana products, commercial cultivation facilities (indoors and outdoors) testing facilities and product manufacturing.

"The data is clear that in places like Colorado, Washington and Oregon where marijuana is legally
sold there are generally higher rates of marijuana use," reads one argument in favor of the article.

>>>>>See also: Can Wayland Not Make Its Mind Up About Pot?

If Wayland voters at Town Meeting don't approve Article 7, the Planning Board offers Article 6 as a response, which would amend the Zoning Bylaw by creating a zoning district where marijuana establishments would be permitted.

"Some may argue that the town is forgoing a potential source of additional sales tax revenue (3 percent of gross revenue) and community impact mitigation funding (up to 3 percent of gross revenue) by limiting permissible locations more than state law requires," said one argument in opposition to the article.

Almost all of the towns in Massachusetts that voted against Question 4 are considering or have adopted laws that will ban recreational marijuana sales. Statewide, the measure passed by a margin of 1,745,394 to 1,511,747. Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a "compromise bill" that reworked the law to address concerns in the original language of the law. One of the biggest changes in the compromise bill was giving towns where the measure failed more leeway to ban recreational marijuana sales.

Wayland voters will also be asked to vote on Article 10, which concerns a limit to the discharge of weapons. If passed, it would prohibit unholstered or uncased firearms to be carried on public property without written consent, and also on private property without written consent of the owner. It would also prohibit the discharge of any firearm, rifle, shotgun or pistol on land unless they are 1000 feet from the nearest dwelling.

Here is a list of the Special Town Meeting warrant articles:

Dave Copeland, Patch staff, contributed to this story.

Photo via Shutterstock