Newton To Take Up Marijuana Questions

NEWTON, MA — Marijuana. It's here. But the question is, what will Newton do about it? It's a question that has made the rounds at Newton City Hall from the zoning board to the Mayor's office. It's brought heated discussions to the city council room and charges of fear mongering, too. But what's the answer?

A group of residents brought a petition forward earlier this summer asking to put a question to the voters to ban recreational marijuana businesses outright. That failed, but, unsatisfied with that, the group went around the city collecting some 6,000 signatures needed to bring it back before the City Council to reconsider Thursday.

The council voted Thursday night unanimously, to put that opt-out question on the ballot and then voted “no action” on the opt out ballot initiative before voters in 2019, essentially because they just agreed to put this question on the 2018 ballot instead.

The city council also voted 11 to 10 to not remove the previously approve 2 to 4 retail stores question from the November ballot.

The mayor asked that it be placed on the November ballot, along with two other independent questions for voters, regarding whether voters should limit the number of businesses that sold recreational marijuana.

After a state law passed two years ago allowing businesses to sell recreational marijuana across the state, Newton scrambled to look at what that will mean here.

More than half of Newton voters supported legalizing adult-use retail marijuana establishments. But the language on the ballot noted that local municipalities had the right to "adopt reasonable restrictions on the time, place and manner of operating marijuana businesses and to limit the number of marijuana establishments in their communities."

Officials argued the city should just say no (temporarily) to recreational pot shops - until they could figure out just what to do with them on a local level. So, in February a temporary ban passed and Newton joined some 90 other Massachusetts communities which have enacted similar measures to give themselves time to consider zoning options.

Back and forth

Earlier this summer a group brought forth a proposal to put a ban on all retail marijuana establishments on the November ballot. That ultimately failed.

But now it's back.

"The city council is doing a really good job thinking deeply and looking at a lot of options so that people in Newton can make the decision about what we want for retail marijuana establishments in Newton," said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in a phone interview with Patch.

Fuller noted that although some 25,000 Newton voters approved legalizing marijuana in 2016, another 20,000 voted against it.

"Giving voice to those people and letting all 45,000 weigh in on whether we want no retail establishments, a small number such as two to four, or the approximately eight that the law currently calls for is very appropriate. This is a difficult decision and I want to be sure that the voters get to decide what Newton's future is," she said.

Fuller said Newton voters can and should decide whether to limit the number of retail marijuana stores below the approximately eight that the law calls for, or if they want none at all.

Fuller said reasonable and thoughtful people have different views on what's best for the city.

Why the back and forth?

"There have been powerful and important change in the last few months, where citizens who think it's best to have no retail establishments in Newton put in a lot of time and energy and gathered more than 6,000 signatures, which the city council rightfully took great notice of. So the city council I think feels comfortable putting that on the ballot."

Early on Fuller encouraged the city council to put the zero option on the Nov. 2018 ballot.

"I've been wholehearted in my support for having the voters deciding. And having all three policies on that ballot," she said. "I want the ballot language to not be biased toward any particular outcome."

Next Steps:

Those ballot measures now also require the approval of the mayor.

(Check out a Committee report)

Read also:

What's Next For Marijuana Shops In Newton, Ban Question Fails (July)

Newton Passes Temporary Ban on Recreational Marijuana (Feb)

Newton Mayor's Update: Retail Marijuana (June)

Subscribe to Newton Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.
Got something to add?
Sign up to post to Patch and tell your neighbors what's going on in and around Newton. Post anything from calendar events to a column about a need in your neighborhood to a public meeting folks should know about. Our philosophy is the more neighborhood watchers the better.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch. Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna)