By Alberto Suris
Andrew Beckwith, President of Massachusetts Family Institute and Michael King Director of Community Alliances based in Woburn, Massachusetts, traveled to Lawrence to meet with AMEDAL members and help them get a ban on the sale of marijuana in Lawrence.
They were joined by Jody Hensley, outgoing chair of the Westborough MA School Committee. Hensley is a driving force behind the restriction of businesses of marijuana sales. Westborough is the first city in the state to ban marijuana stores, confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office.
The meeting was held at the Hispanic Church Assembly of God, located at 14 Vine Street in Lawrence MA on Wednesday April 5th.
On November 8, 2016, MA voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana use. The law allows for the possession, transfer or use of up to one ounce of marijuana (the equivalent of about 40 marijuana cigarettes/servings) and up to 10 ounces at home.
The law does not create any limit or restriction on the marketing and sale of edible products, including candy, lollipops, soft drinks or other products that would be particularly attractive to children and adolescents. Nor does the law set limits on potency, including hashish oil extracts that may have a potency of approximately 100% THC. (THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for high euphoric activity).
In the coming months, it is anticipated that marijuana dispensaries, that is, “grass stores” will be popping up statewide. Is your community prepared to prevent marijuana from taking root in your backyard? What can you do to avoid it?
Fortunately, the new law allows local control over recreational marijuana in three general ways:
1– Imposing ordinances and regulations that regulate and even prohibit the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of marijuana for recreational use;
2. Prohibiting the sale of marijuana for consumption where it is sold;
3– Imposing a local sales tax of up to 2%; to impose sales tax, the local city board or city council must vote to adopt Section 3 of Chapter 64N of the General Laws of Massachusetts.
Editorial Note: In our next edition of April 15, we will expand this news with the results of the meeting held on Thursday, April 5, 2017.
