Newton Residents

[Lisa Gordon]

If anyone is interested there is a campaign to get a ballot initiative to keep recreational MJ stores out of Newton. Actually, we'd have one as Garden Remedies will stay. 

This measure DOES NOT impact legalization, home use, mail order or personal use. When we voted to legalize, the ballot summary did not make it clear that we would be obligated to have 8 recreational stores in Newton. Because of this we'd like to see our city vote.

Murray's Liquor in Newton Centre and Newton Four Corners are two areas that are being considered as spaces for lounges, cafe. We need 6,000 signatures to get a ballot question to the voters of Newton. 

Please visit http://optoutnewton.org/ if you are interested in signing, helping out or being on the mailing list.

Just to be clear--we are not looking for prohibition, we support legalization, we support mail order.

Thank you,

--Lisa

[Mike Ciolino]

Lisa, I'm curious, what scenarios are people afraid of? Please be specific. I'm having difficulty conjuring up an example of how this could have a negative impact on our city.

Mike Ciolino
617-332-9588

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[Dan Proskauer]

Is there a petition to Opt IN?  :-) 

I think we already voted on this one. Let’s just let things move forward and we can revisit in the future if needed. 

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[Lisa Gordon]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the conversation and for including your number.

Good luck deciding what you think and feel free to reach out if I can help in any way.

My best,

--Lisa

On Thu, May 3, 2018 at 6:50 PM, Mike Ciolino <mikec...@gmail.com> wrote:

Lisa, I'm curious, what scenarios are people afraid of? Please be specific. I'm having difficulty conjuring up an example of how this could have a negative impact on our city.

Mike Ciolino
617-332-9588

On Thu, May 3, 2018, 6:37 PM Lisa Gordon <wabis...@gmail.com> wrote:

If anyone is interested there is a campaign to get a ballot initiative to keep recreational MJ stores out of Newton. Actually, we'd have one as Garden Remedies will stay. 

This measure DOES NOT impact legalization, home use, mail order or personal use. When we voted to legalize, the ballot summary did not make it clear that we would be obligated to have 8 recreational stores in Newton. Because of this we'd like to see our city vote.

Murray's Liquor in Newton Centre and Newton Four Corners are two areas that are being considered as spaces for lounges, cafe. We need 6,000 signatures to get a ballot question to the voters of Newton. 

Please visit http://optoutnewton.org/ if you are interested in signing, helping out or being on the mailing list.

Just to be clear--we are not looking for prohibition, we support legalization, we support mail order.

Thank you,

--Lisa

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[Michelle Ciurea]

Thanks, Lisa -

As someone who is unabashedly NIMBY about this, I was happy to read this :

Although recreational consumption of marijuana is legal throughout Massachusetts, state law allows cities and towns to opt-out of having stores, bars, and other establishments offering recreational marijuana within their town limits if such a ban is approved by voters in a referendum. Such a ban would not prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries or adult consumption of reactional marijuana purchased in other towns that opt to have retail establishments.

I'm happy to have the chance to put this to a vote and let our community decide. 

Fracking's legal too, but I wouldn't want it coming into my neighborhood either.

Today's mom and pop pot industry is tomorrow's Big Tobacco, and I want no part of it.

Michelle

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[Janet J Sterman]

In my opinion the opening of  MJ retailers should fall under the jurisdiction of the licensing board and not the City Council (who will now carry on a full length multi weeks/months verbal vomiting festival about something that was already approved on the ballot a few years back. Why not let pot shops just open or better still have weed sold at liquor stores requiring everyone to be over 18? We'd (no pun intended) never actually do this as it stands in the way of Newton collecting 3% of the gross revenue on all the weed sold.

Janet Sterman
617-329-1360

On Fri, May 4, 2018, 8:55 AM Ka...@Fidelman.net <ka...@fidelman.net> wrote:

On May 4, 2018, at 6:38 AM, Michelle Ciurea <michell...@gmail.com> wrote:

As someone who is unabashedly NIMBY about this, I was happy to read this :

Although recreational consumption of marijuana is legal throughout Massachusetts, state law allows cities and towns to opt-out of having stores, bars, and other establishments offering recreational marijuana within their town limits if such a ban is approved by voters in a referendum. Such a ban would not prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries or adult consumption of reactional marijuana purchased in other towns that opt to have retail establishments.

The current commissioner was talking about how he thinks it should be only the communities who did NOT pass the initial vote should be the only ones allowed to “opt out.”

Either way, I feel if people are not out there fighting liquor licenses and packies, then I view them as hypocritical on the subject.  Again, never been a marijuana user in my life and I hopefully should never be one, but this is the law.  I did not vote in favor of it, but it passed.  We all had a chance to make our voice heard 6 months ago and we can’t pick and choose the laws we like and we don’t.  If people who oppose these establishments would gratefully take the tax revenue generated by these industries to supplement community budgets (schools, roads, etc.), then they need to get over their prejudices.

Karla

ka...@fidelman.net

Before starting any programming project, try explaining it to your cat.  - Stuart Fleming

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[Mike Ciolino]

I'm going to go out on a limb on this one and share my personal experience. When I was in my late teens and twenties I used marijuana quite often. 

Marijuana helped me focus. I smoked when I needed to study in college, I smoked before I went the pool to swim laps, I smoked when I needed to accomplish things. 

If I am to be honest, I would have to say that marijuana was the catalyst for much of the critical thinking that shaped person that I am today.

In my early 30s I was diagnosed with adult ADD and have taken Adderall daily for the past 25 years. It's also interesting that I stopped using marijuana entirely when I began using Adderall.

But it really makes absolutely no sense to be more uncomfortable about marijuana then we are about alcohol

Alcohol is infinitely more dangerous and destructive to our children and our society then marijuana is. Unfortunately alcohol is the more socially acceptable drug.

Mike Ciolino
617-332-9588

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[Eileen Sandberg]

I have given this a lot of thought, and I support the ban.  I appreciate the community conversation.  My concerns are as follows: 

1.  Medical marijuana is not the issue, as that is still allowed.  I strongly support its availability, and agree that the license fees should be reduced, but that’s not what this is. 

2.  I also have no problem with personal use for any reason by adults as long as I can’t smell it, kids can’t smell it and no one drives stoned. 

3.   7-8 retail outlets for recreational use seems like a lot to me, and difficult to zone.  If surrounding towns ban use, as Lexington and Weston have, we will see a lot of traffic related to this (and yes, the tax revenue).  Do we want to be where commuters stop on their way home? Maybe we do, but how does that impact public safety? 

4.  If we allow marijuana cafes and theatres, how are the patrons getting home?   Colorado’s experience is instructive and definitely a mixed result.  Traffic accidents and deaths have increased, and there’s no equivalent of the breathalyzer test.  Traffic death increases have been linked to drivers with THC in their blood.  

5.   It stinks- literally. Not in my back yard should be “not in my air”.  I hate the smell of weed (and cigarettes and cigars).  I really don’t think that all customers will politely refrain from lighting up near the dispensary, and theatres, cafes and grow houses are going to reek.  Why do people who would be up in arms about secondhand cigarette smoke think this is ok? 

Thanks, 

Eileen 

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