Beverly Seeks Public Input On Recreational Marijuana Sales

BEVERLY, MA -- Mayor Michael P. Cahill, Director of Planning Aaron Clausen and City Solicitor Stephanie Williams will be on hand for a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18 to discuss how Beverly will handle legalized, recreational marijuana sales. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Beverly Senior Center at 90 Colon Street at 7 pm.

While the state finalizes rules for recreational marijuana sales and begins the process of approving dispensaries, municipalities have been drafting rules on how to handle sales within city limits. Salem, for example, was one of the first North Shore communities to begin approving recreational marijuana businesses. Peabody, meanwhile, has banned recreational marijuana sales.

Bans are only permitted in cities where voters opposed the 2016 ballot question that ultimately legalized recreational marijuana sales in Massachusetts. Municipalities that make provisions to allow the sales are entitled to collect local taxes in addition to the state taxes on the products, and can regulate whether cannabis can be consumed on site.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).