Mayors of Some Massachusetts Towns Oppose Marijuana Shops

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After Massachusetts voters legalized adult-use marijuana on Nov. 8, 2016, mayors in some towns are trying to quell marijuana’s presence by restricting retail outlets, according to a Nov. 15, 2016, article at BostonGlobe.com.

In the town of Methuen, Mass., where 52 percent of the residents voted against legalization, Mayor Stephen N. Zanni wants to prohibit marijuana retailers.

“I’m dead set against it,” Zanni said. “I don’t think it’s an appropriate fit here for our community.”

But the ballot question that legalized marijuana in Massachusetts, Question 4, was affirmed statewide 54 percent to 46 percent. That has supporters like Jim Borghesani, a spokesman for Yes on 4, insisting local governments should not overrule the will of the state’s voters.

“I would not want to see a handful of town officials controvert the vote of the people of Massachusetts,” Borghesani said. “What we don’t support is rushing out of the gate out of paranoia and hysteria.”

Even in some cities where the majority of voters supported legalization, city officials remain opposed.

In Quincy, Mass., Mayor Thomas P. Koch suggested he might start a local ballot question on prohibiting marijuana retail shops, even though residents affirmed Question 4 by 51 percent.

The staff byline designates content that has been written by a staff writer of MJINews.

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