by Greg Reibman | Jan 8, 2019 | Boston College, Marijuana, Newton, recreational marijuana, zoning |
The prospect of the bar Mary Ann’s — located just over the Newton line at Cleveland Circle — become a recreational marijuana shop is worrying some abutters and Boston College Police Chief William Evans.
Meanwhile here in Newton Ward 6 Councilor Greg Schwartz sent the email below yesterday to the Newton Highlands list serve in response to objections about his proposal to add some manufacturing zoning districts to the allowable locations for recreational
by village14 | Dec 3, 2018 | economic development, Newton, recreational marijuana |
Just under 25 months after Newton and Massachusetts first voted to approve adult-use recreational marijuana, the Newton City Council finally approved, 19-3, the zoning regulations that will allow up to eight retail cannabis stores to open here Monday night. It will...
by Greg Reibman | Nov 20, 2018 | Joe Kennedy, recreational marijuana |
Like pretty much everything Congressman Joe Kennedy does, there’s a lot of thought behind his op-ed in STAT today. Kennedy explores how and why his thinking has changed on cannabis and he doesn’t dismiss the risks. And his comments touch a lot of the...
by Greg Reibman | Nov 15, 2018 | Newton, recreational marijuana |
More than a week after Newton voters voted against a ballot question that would have banned recreational marijuana shops from opening here — as well as a second ballot quesiton that would have capped the number of stores to between 2 to 4 — some ban...
by Greg Reibman | Nov 13, 2018 | City Council, recreational marijuana |
Now that Newton residents decided the city will be allowed to have up to eight retail marijuana shops, the next step before any store can open is for the City Council to vote on zoning, the TAB’s Julie Cohen reports. That includes review of the proposed... by village14 | Nov 6, 2018 | Elections, recreational marijuana |
Share your thoughts and observations here.
by Greg Reibman | Nov 4, 2018 | City Council, Newton, recreational marijuana, zoning |
Newton City Councilor Susan Albright, who is chair of the council’s Zoning & Planning committee, had some enlightening comments on an earlier thread about the research she conducted in her role as chair of the committee charged with determining where adult use recreational marijuana shops could locate, if Newton voters reject the Opt-Out referendum Tuesday. It seemed interesting and timely, so I republishing most of it here. I have talked to many people from states that currently allow adult use. I asked one woman in the Dept of Public Health in Oregon (whom I had called to find data on teenage use) whether there was an adult use shop in her town. She said yes – I asked her what happened there, was she scared to go there? Were there kids hanging around? Were the police frequently called? Was there Trouble with a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for Pool? (sorry I didn’t ask her about Pool). I wanted to get a sense for how she felt about this shop. She said she never went there but it was totally quiet and caused no problems in the town. I got similar answers from whomever i called, including the son of one of my Tufts college friends who works in one in Denver.
I imagine this is what life was like when they were deciding to prohibit liquor. The prohibitionists scared the public that liquor was the foundation of all our problems and the ruination of society – hence we got prohibition. And then had it undone years later.
Our marijuana zoning ordinance was done with care to protect our citizens and to put a store – which is what an adult use shop is – in a place where it was appropriate.
by Greg Reibman | Oct 30, 2018 | Newton, recreational marijuana, zoning |
Often lost in the debate over whether or not adult-use recreational marijuana shops should operate in Newton is the fact that there aren’t very many properties where these stores can exist under the city’s proposed zoning.
Yes, I know zoning deliberations make most people’s heads ache. Mine included. But, if you have not yet dug into this, it’s worth understanding.
The first thing you need to know is that you should not expect to find these adult-only shops in Newton’s village centers. The next thing you should know is that under state law, consuming cannabis inside or in front of one of these stores is a crime.
Unlike liquor stores, which of course exist in our village centers, these shops will have bunker-like exteriors, intense security and state-mandated safeguards. You must show an ID before you’re allowed to enter a secure showroom. You must show it again when you
by Greg Reibman | Oct 25, 2018 | recreational marijuana |
This is a guest blog post that was submitted to Village 14. Like many other Boomers, I favored legalizing recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth. Not that I wanted to partake- far from it! In my early adulthood, pot was both a blessing and a danger. It opened my... by Greg Reibman | Oct 22, 2018 | recreational marijuana |
This is a guest blog post that was submitted to Village 14. The Boston Globe reported this past week that the Cannabis Control Commission has started working toward rules for marijuana home delivery across the state. No retail storefronts would be involved, and the... by Amy Sangiolo | Oct 20, 2018 | Elections, recreational marijuana |
The City Mailer from the Newton Elections Commission regarding the Ballot Questions on Cannibis can be found here.
Thoughts?
by Greg Reibman | Oct 19, 2018 | Boston College, recreational marijuana |
Former Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, who is now Boston College’s executive director of public safety and chief of police, shared his concerns about recreational marijuana on the NewTV show “Common Ground with Ken Parker.”
