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

NEWTON, MA — It was standing room only Monday night in the Newton City Council chambers. Folks crowded in to weigh in on what the future of marijuana might look like in the Garden City.

Up first: putting a question on the ballot to ban recreational marijuana establishments. City Council voted down the possibility of having Newton opt-out of recreational pot shops in town altogether, but did permit a question to go on the ballot this fall regarding the possibility of reducing the number of recreational pot shops in town.

Folks on both sides of the discussion came with arguments pro and con.

In the end the City Council voted 13-8 against bringing the question to ban recreational marijuana stores to ballot. Another vote had councilors approving a ballot question that would bring the number of pot shops permitted to between two and four.

In 2016, Newton voters supported legalizing adult-use retail marijuana establishments. The language on the ballot added 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.”

A group of Newton residents started a petition to put the question to a vote siting the state ballot language as evidence they deserved the right to debate the issue of whether or not to limit or join the 40 or so communities across the state that voted to ban cannabis dispensaries. As of Monday night, 800 people signed the petition.

But for some folks, happy with the final outcome, it was actually the anti-pot group that helped them decide there shouldn't be a ban. That was true for Matt Lai as a parent of a 13 year old, and someone who lives close to one of the proposed sites. He said he still has some concerns, but was swayed.

"It was the manner and tone (fear mongering) of the Opt Out movement - and specifically the presentation - that pushed me to the other side," Lai from Upper Falls wrote in an email to Patch.

Check out the presentation here:

How voting went:

Against the recreational pot shop ban question: Leary, Greenberg, Albright, Norton, Brousal-Glaser, Krintzman, Markiewicz, Downs, Crossley, Danberg, Noel, Grossman, and Kalis.

Yes votes: Ciccone, Auchincloss, Cote, Kelley, Gentile, Rice, Schwartz, and Baker
Absent: Laredo
Recused: Lappin and Lipof

Councilors Gentile and Leary were the only two to vote against keeping the number of pot shops establishments to between two and four.

More to come

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