Rep. Jones supports stronger protections for Reading as state marijuana law is implemented

Following is a release from the office of House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones to the residents of Reading.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) is backing a compromise bill that will give the Town of Reading greater flexibility to decide whether to prohibit or limit the number of local dispensaries allowed under the state’s new recreational marijuana law.

House Bill 3818, An Act to ensure safe access to medical and adult-use of marijuana in the Commonwealth, allows cities and towns to implement reasonable safeguards on the operation of marijuana establishments through local bylaws and ordinances, or to impose an outright ban. The bill, which represents a compromise between differing marijuana proposals passed by the House and Senate in June, was approved by the House of Representatives on a vote of 136-11 on Wednesday (July 19).

Under the compromise proposal, communities that opposed the November 2016 ballot question will have the option to unilaterally ban marijuana establishments within their borders through a vote of the local governing authority. In Reading, where the ballot question was rejected on a vote of 8,476-6,912, the town would be able to prohibit recreational marijuana dispensaries with a simple majority vote of the Board of Selectmen. If the Selectmen fail to take such a vote before December 31, 2019, the town could still ban marijuana facilities but would then need to do so through a community-wide referendum.

“The residents of Reading voted overwhelmingly against legalizing recreational marijuana, and this bill gives the town the flexibility it needs to ensure that the will of the voters is upheld moving forward,” said Representative Jones. “This bill represents a reasonable compromise that empowers municipalities by giving them greater control over how the new marijuana law will be implemented at the local level.”

In communities that approved the 2016 ballot question, any attempts to ban or limit the number of marijuana dispensaries would have to be approved by a municipal ballot question. The law specifically allows communities to limit the number of marijuana retailers to fewer than 20% of the number of liquor licenses issued within the city or town for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises, or to fewer than the number of medical marijuana treatment centers registered in the municipality.

A 5-member Cannabis Control Commission will oversee the implementation and regulation of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and establish licensing procedures, with the state’s first recreational marijuana dispensaries set to open in July of 2018. The commission will also have full regulatory authority over the state’s medical marijuana industry, which is currently overseen by the Department of Public Health.

Representative Jones noted that the compromise bill continues to prohibit the sale of marijuana to persons under the age of 21. It also includes strict guidelines governing the advertising, marketing, branding and packaging of marijuana and marijuana products to help keep them out of the hands of minors.

The marijuana compromise must still be approved by the Senate. Governor Charlie Baker will have 10 days to review and sign the bill once it reaches his desk.