LETTER: 'The Ballot Was Prepared Hush-Hush'

MILFORD, MA—The following was submitted by Pavlina Wolf. Want to join the conversation? Email charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

Dear editor,

I am voting NO in tomorrow’s town-wide referendum because the ballot is poorly thought through and will lead to bad consequences. The ballot was also prepared hush-hush without voter’s input and that should scare all of us.

I am not a fan of recreational marijuana, but I am still voting NO tomorrow. Last fall Milford residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. Then, out of nowhere, after the summer when everyone was on vacation, we have a referendum in September about a ballot question that goes too far! The language of the ballot includes not only retail marijuana shops, but all licensed medical marijuana businesses, including cultivators, manufacturers and testing facilities. Did you know that there are businesses like that in Milford? These businesses don’t sell marijuana to consumers. They do things like test for pesticides or for the content of medically active ingredients for the whole country. These kinds of businesses create the best jobs and bring money to the town. Why should they be shut down and why should we all lose out on taxes and jobs just because the people behind the ballot didn’t think this through and prepared the ballot hidden from the public? This has gone way too far.

Even if you’re not passionate about this issue, please come out and vote NO tomorrow to stand for transparency. We can’t let this ballot set such a dangerous precedent in our town!

Pavlina Wolf, Milford