Town to Revisit Ban of Recreational Cannabis in Burlington
An article to allow the sale of recreational cannabis in Burlington has been making its way through the legislative channels, and its proponents hope to have it on the Warrant for this September's Town Meeting.
Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member, Alex Rutfield, along with community proponent and cannabis industry professional, Will Seagaard, have been making the rounds to the town's various committees and Boards to explain the reasoning behind their proposal and get it into shape for the upcoming Town Meeting.
Recreational cannabis sales have been prohibited in Burlington since a roughly 2/3 Town Meeting vote in 2017, according to Dave Copeland of the Patch. This is after a very close statewide vote to approve cannabis sales via a ballot measure that allowed towns the latitude to prohibit recreational cannabis sales locally.
The current ban does not impact the ability of a medical cannabis facility to open with the appropriate permitting and site planning. What it does do, says Seagaard, is prevent the town from collecting taxes from cannabis that is being sold in Burlington through an unregulated illicit market. Allowing a recreational dispensary would allow regulation of sales and quality, he says, as well as allow the town to collect a 3% local tax. Previously, opponents including Select Board member, Jim Tigges, warned that the tax revenue could be offset by increased costs for public health and safety.
The current version of the proposal would rescind the ban and create a zoning overlay designating where retail cannabis shops could be located. If approved in its current form, the overlay would consist of a small area along the southern end of Middlesex Turnpike and the western end of Mall Road.
The potential article will be discussed this evening at a joint meeting of the Planning Board and the Zoning Bylaw Review committee, and the Buzz will be following this article and all the others to be voted on at Town Meeting, which begins on September 23. The Buzz would like to hear from Town Meeting members and community members on this issue, especially those who were involved in the effort to institute the ban in 2017. Email us at hello@burlington.buzz!
