It will be a (virtual) smoke-filled room Thursday Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. when the Newton City Council holds an all-marijuana special meeting to weed through an bouquet of cannabis-related docket items:
AGENDA*
- #468-18 Request to remove the Question regulating the number of recreational marijuana establishments from the November ballot filed by Councilors Cote, Norton and Kelley (Programs and Services Motion to Approved Failed to Carry 4-4 Rice, Kalis, Baker and Schwartz opposed)
- #469-18 Requesting the City Council reconsider placing a question on the ballot prohibiting retail recreational marijuana sales in Newton filed by Councilors Baker, Norton, Gentile, Kalis, Cote, Ciccone, Laredo, Kelley and Schwartz (Programs and Services Approved as amended 8-0)
- #470-18 Initiative Petition requesting a ballot question prohibiting recreational marijuana establishments with exceptions filed by Suzanne Bender et al. – (Opt-out petition meeting the 6,000 signature requirement) (Programs and Services voted No Action Necessary – 8-0)
- #471-18 Provide a means for voters to determine which marijuana question prevails if both are approved filed by President Laredo – see Memo from President Laredo
- #441-18 Set the date of November 6, 2018 for a Special Municipal Election (Programs and Services vote to approve 4-2-2 that if more than one question passes, the
question with the highest number of votes will prevail. (Kalis, Baker opposed;
Schwartz, Rice abstaining) - CITY CLERK requesting the City Council set the date of November 6, 2018 as the date for a Special Municipal Election to submit to the voters question(s) related to limiting retail marijuana in Newton (Programs and Services vote to approve 8-0)
- #476-18 Proposed ballot questions re recreational marijuana retail establishments
HER HONOR THE MAYOR requesting the three following questions be placed on the
ballot for a special election in November: - Question 1: Shall the City adopt the following general ordinance?
All recreational marijuana retail establishments shall be prohibited from operating in the City of Newton - Question 2: Shall the City adopt the following zoning ordinance?
The number of recreational marijuana retail establishments shall be not fewer than two (2) nor more than four (4) establishments set by a general ordinance adopted by the City Council notwithstanding M.G.L. Chapter 94 G, Sec 3(a)(2)(ii). - Question 3: Shall the City adopt the following zoning ordinance?
The number of recreational marijuana retail establishments shall be not fewer than two (2) nor more than eight (8) establishments set by a general ordinance adopted by the City Council notwithstanding M.G.L. Chapter 94 G, Sec 3(a)(2)(ii). (Programs and Services voted No Action Necessary 8-0)
*This list was cribbed from Amy Sangiolo’s very helpful weekly email newsletter.
Ship of Fools!
I, like others on this board, had long been focused on trying to make a few million in the marijuana industry, but after reading today’s NYT article about Juul’s astounding success in getting minors hooked on e-cigarettes, I’m moving my money into that business instead.
They’ve already got something like 2 million high schoolers and middle schoolers who are regular e-cigarette users. That’s just about the same as the number of regular adolescent marijuana users.
E-cigarettes are the cash cow of the future; at this point, weed is for squares.
Plus, e-cigarette production can be outsourced to sweatshop countries. Take that, high-cost, multi-hectare marijuana grow-op in Sharon!
The smart money is on e-cigarettes now, and we’re gonna open this market WAY up. City councilors, you’ll be hearing from my lobbyist tomorrow!
Re. Cannabis questions on the ballot – yes to question 1 and 2, no to the third. If people vote down either Opt Out or 2-4 then 8 will remain the law. You don’t need it as a ballot question.
@Patricia — Just to clarify, as your ballot committee stated mission is to advocate for legal sale of cannabis in Newton, it will be advocating for people to vote against question 2, so that the legal scale of cannabis is not limited to just 2-4 stores correct? http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/91511
Or will you be advocating against the legal sale of Cannibis in more than 4 stores in the city?
Jack – We need to see what the city council decides tomorrow evening and how the mayor responds. None of us know what the options are at this point, so your assumption is not accurate.
At this point, the responsibility for what is on the ballot lies on the shoulders of the city council and not with either ballot committee.