In the Mayor’s Newsletter of a couple weeks back she gave an update on Cannabis stores in Newton, both retail and home delivery services. Greg Reibman gave a similar update in his Chamber newsletter one day this week. He mentioned how Newton voters had “resoundingly” approved the two ballot questions three years ago. I think that’s a bit of a stretch in that these were approved by 55% and 53% margins. Many will disagree, but I think this vote will always be somewhat tainted by the confusion many voters felt over the wording of each question and what yes or no votes for one question, the other, or both really meant? I don’t think it’s clear that the vote tallies actually reflected what many voters intended. Many will say it was always crystal clear, and to the attorneys on our City Council/Board of Aldermen at the time I’m sure that it was.
Regardless, the initiatives did pass and Newton has moved forward. I’ve no idea what kind of tax revenue these businesses generate, but I’m sure that it’s significant and growing, and that this partly explains the City’s enthusiasm for these businesses opening.
But have we gone too far? Do we really need, or want 8 retail Cannabis stores in Newton, and then home delivery options on top of this? Are we all comfortable that this is in the community’s best interest? While most everyone I know agrees that Cannabis should be fully legal, I also think it’s fair to say that there’s a wide range of opinions about its regulation, and just how available these products should be. So, I’m curious. Has Newton’s implementation of the questions that were approved 3 years ago moved beyond your personal comfort zone?
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I think it has become a complete non-issue. The stores opened. And the world moved on. Except for the store in Brookline on route 9, I rarely see the stores that crowded.
I think if you had a vote now, it would pass overwhelmingly. It just isn’t a big deal to have legal pot stores. Same as alcohol. And I say this as someone who doesn’t smoke pot, and doesn’t really enjoy alcohol.
It just isn’t a big deal.
It doesn’t look like the dispensaries are causing a particular problem with traffic or anything else people were worried about. However, I can’t imagine there being a market for 8 of them in Newton – my best guess is 2 or 3.
I agree with you that the last vote was very poorly done. You needed a PhD in game theory to decide how to vote, no matter what side of the issue you were on. Even though I supported the outcome, it left me very frustrated.
Michael, When you ask ‘is this what we wanted’ what I hear is having multiple cannabis businesses somehow diminishes how you feel about living here in the Garden City.
These are successful, honest, legal businesses that are thriving and happy to give us a percentage of their profits.
I’m curious why you make no mention of liquor stores when alcohol kills 3,504 Americans under the age of 21 each year, 261 alcohol related deaths every day.
Im curious what you were thinking when you wrote this post?
I don’t have any problem with there being 8 cannabis stores in Newton, nor with home delivery. We have a lot more than 8 liquor stores here and I really don’t see much difference between their products (I’ve used both in the past, haven’t used either in years, have no feelings about other people’s personal use of either.) If there isn’t a market for 8 of them in Newton, then some will go out of business, same as with any other type of store.
The recent Boston Globe article, “Five years later, legal marijuana remains unfinished business in Massachusetts” sums it up. Excerpt: The legalization “judgment call by voters has in many ways been vindicated. The public health catastrophe foreseen by opponents never materialized.”
No crime surge. No public health catastrophe. No new traffic disaster. No Newton as ‘ground zero for pot’. No collapsing property values. No massive increase in underage chronic use.
As for the way the vote was set up, blame Massachusetts which established this voting process in its state constitution. Also note voters statewide last year rejected the proposed alternative of ranked choice voting.
My only quibble with the implementation is that there was unnecessary foot dragging and slowing of the permitting process by the City. Now years later, some of these legal businesses are still waiting to to get through the final hurdles of the local permitting process before they can open.
As for the question is 8 to many? and how about home delivery? I’m with Meredith on that one. That worries me no more than the question “are there too many pizza places in Newton?”. If there are, some of them will close.
Now that a few of these shops have already opened, including one in my neighborhood and another on the way, it’s almost comical thinking back to the doomsday picture that was painted at some of the public meetings about these few small retail businesses.
What’s the point of this post? Cannabis has become a total non-issue in Newton. There have ben absolutely none of the public safety incidents that the prohibitionists fear-mongered about. The only reason the city hasn’t received significant tax income thus far is because the state has been so slow to allow individual stores to open. If this blog is to remain viable as a source/discussion venue for Newton issues then let’s focus on actual issues facing the city, like, say, street paving. Newton is getting a gazillion dollars from the stimulus bill yet the funding is being handed out by the city in nickels and dimes while our streets and sidewalks are literally crumbling away. Whoever heard of an incumbent mayor running for re-election and not addressing decrepit street conditions? Maybe that’s why the election was closer than expected? Whatever, Newton’s going to have 8 marijuana stores; that’s settled law. Hopefully some day we’ll be able to get to those cannabis stores on appropriately kept up roads and sidewalks.
Huh? I’ve seen near constant roadwork in the past year or so — indeed, you can see the history here: https://arcg.is/1raXrq0
From what I can tell, at this point, Newton’s street paving and road repair is limited by staff engineering resources and contractors. It’s simply incorrect to say the city isn’t trying to address the problem.
Several decades of neglect means that the city’s flat out even fixing what’s on the ground, let alone improving it to modern standards (in particular, accessible sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and bike facilities).
MA has had three statewide referendums and Newton has had one local one on various aspects of cannabis. In all four, Newton voted 55% in favor of the measure, 45% against. It’s settled law; time to move on to other issues.
Yes, lets get back to leaf blowers.
No!, no!, please don’t!, just kidding, what was I thinking? 😉
@Gerry, thanks for your comments. Honestly, I’ve found that if a let a post sit for awhile that eventually some thoughtful people come through to suggest that even if I’m not in step with the V14 norm, that I’m also not out in
left field, even if that was my actual position way back when.
I’d argue just the opposite, that if V14 is to remain viable and grow that it needs more posts like mine. I hear you though. I’m happy to step back. I gave up writing about the things you suggest long ago. Of course you’re right, but earlier this month Newton’s voters had a chance to send a message to City Hall and 54% chose not to.
@Michael Slater – no matter what you post about, some people will object. Please don’t let one person’s crankiness cause you to step back. Obviously some people found this post worth commenting on (myself included) and those who aren’t interested in it can always ignore it.
@Gerry – if you find V14 irrelevant, you don’t have to read it. No one’s forcing you to read any post that you don’t find of interest.
In what sense is V14 “viable”? As a sideshow perhaps. Aside from the arts and culture postings, V14 is mostly a demonstration of just how much wealth and affluence are uncorrelated from reason and logic.
I haven’t seen it hear yet (or should I say smelled it). But in more urban areas I’ve smelled it coming from cars that I was driving behind and cars which passed me when I was walking. Also when walking it was a common smell around many corners. Gross, unwelcome and sad. My opinion seems to be in the minority.
*here
Much like any other local business or restaurant, many of these dispensaries won’t make it for long. There’s not enough demand and the overhead is too high to support eight locations in our city, particularly since there’s nothing stopping Newton consumers from shopping around in other towns as well. This will eventually force a race to the bottom as they drop prices and run promotions to compete. Good for consumers as long as it remains a viable business model and some survive the inevitable market correction, with the rest assuredly becoming more unnecessary bank branches. Plus cannabis seems to be the only thing keeping the billboard industry alive (just drive the full length of the Mass Pike).
Compared to prices in other states, MA cannabis is more expensive and has trouble competing with the illegal market, which is the real shame. If MA dispensaries could start buying wholesale from the West Coast there’d be a huge market crash, but instead, they’re forced to grow it all in-state and indoors (which also uses a lot of unnecessary energy).
At least we’re not Oklahoma where there’s one dispensary for every 1,700 people – the Newton equivalent would be 50+ dispensaries in our city!
There sure are a lot of coffee shops though….3 within a stones throw of each other….selling 4.00 coffees
A race to the bottom is what they should try to avoid.
Apple ( well mainly Steve Jobs ) proved that if you sell computers in what looks like an art gallery, people will pay $900 for a phone….
In Newton, upscale will survive.
Not sure coffee shops are a good comp, at least not until the government lets you consume cannabis on premises (which seems to have zero momentum in MA). One trip to the dispensary should have even a frequent consumer well-stocked for weeks if not longer depending on your usage rate. That Starbucks triple foam latte won’t age quite as well.
This thread presents a good opportunity to remind folks that Trump and the Republicans are not the only ones who have no respect for democracy. Not one single member of the Newton City Council stood up to defend the voting rights of their constituents in the 2016 vote that legalized cannabis statewide. Since then, the City Council has slow-rolled dispensary applicants, costing the City Of Newton hundreds of jobs and untold million$ in lost tax revenue. A sad but true chapter in our city’s history.
Please stop posting unnecessary articles such as this. V14 focuses on (1) land use, (2) zoning and (3) leaf blowers. Any other subjects are a distraction. 🙂
… and don’t forget – endless posts about the Newton Nomadic Theater 😉
While I do not partake, I know plenty of adults of all ages who do, and I have yet to see a serious downside to their use of a legal drug–every bit as legal as alcohol and nicotine, but without some of the harmful health aspects. So I approach MJ dispensaries the same way I would any other commercial or retail use abutting a residential neighborhood. My concerns are about parking, vehicular and pedestrian traffic, noise, lighting, and deliveries. Ironically, limiting the number of dispensaries has a potential adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhoods because it actually increases all of the above impacts at those limited locations. And, not for nothing, racism was one of the motives for making MJ illegal in the first place, so, the fact that the MA law is intended to promote minority owned businesses is a positive thing, in my opinion.