SOUTHWICK – At Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, the board decided to make a decision on the future of recreational marijuana in the town of Southwick. The Select Board voted in favor of creating a ballot question for the town election in May that would ask voting residents if they’d like to see the retail sale of recreational marijuana in Southwick.
The state of Massachusetts voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the November 2016 election.
An ongoing discussion has ensued about creating a ballot question that would give the voting residents the opportunity to decide if they want the sale of recreational marijuana occurring where they live.
Southwick Town Hall. (WNG File Photo)
Select Board Chairman Doug Moglin is looking forward to seeing what the result of the voting residents will be at the next town election.
“Let’s see what it is,” said Moglin. “Put it in front of the voters.”
Clerk Russ Fox is certainly in favor of allowing the residents to have this opportunity to vote on this topic.
“The community has the right to determine what types of businesses it will allow in its community,” said Fox. “It’s only fair.”
As the town of Southwick prepares to create a ballot question and warrant article, the marijuana sub-committee now has to focus on the Cannabis Control Commission’s latest progress. According to Moglin, the CCC, which is the state agency that is regulating the laws throughout Massachusetts, has just recently came out with their rules and regulations for recreational marijuana.
Since the marijuana sub-committee has been charged with creating a town bylaw for both recreational and medical marijuana, committee Chairman Marcus Phelps discussed what the sale of recreational in Southwick could look like if it was passed. Phelps said that the committee’s town bylaw uses an overlay district approach, which would allow retail for recreational marijuana to take place in the overlay district in town.
“I think we have to keep our options open depending on the outcome of the ballot question,” said Phelps.
The marijuana sub-committee will now focus on adjusting to the regulations from the CCC at their next meetings coming up.
