Dedham Could Ban Recreational Marijuana Businesses

DEDHAM, MA — Dedham could join the nearly 200 Massachusetts communities which have banned all recreational marijuana establishments and businesses.

The ballot for the Annual Town Election includes a question which asks if the town should adopt a by-law that would outlaw all non-medical marijuana businesses including cultivators, testing laboratories, manufactures, and retailers. The vote is part of a two-step process to initiate the ban, which was approved at Town Meeting.

The process is needed because Dedham voted in favor of recreational marijuana legalization when it was placed on the 2016 General Election ballot. While Question 4 passed statewide, it has proved to be less popular on the local level, where bans have been voted on at town meeting and local elections, which attract an older and more conservative crowd than the Presidential election which included Question 4.

If approved, private consumption would remain legal in town.

The Annual Town Election is April 14.

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