02/17/2017

Moratorium on retail marijuana extended 180 days

The town's moratorium on retail marijuana sales will extend to at least September as officials weigh the impact of a statewide referendum legalizing recreational pot.

Town Councilors on Feb. 15, 2017 voted to extend the 90-day emergency moratorium, passed on Dec. 12, 2016, another 180 days. Councilors hope that within that time, the Legislature will make progress on its own laws to regulate retail sales.

"Most communities are doing exactly the same thing for the same reasons," said Councilor Jessica Sullivan, who along with the rest of the council voted for approval. "We just don't know what's going to happen, and we need to see a little more of what the state's doing," she said.

The Legislature has delayed legal sale of recreational marijuana to February of 2018. The town's moratorium is limited to 180 days by statute, but could be extended up to another 180 days if needed. [See state statute on municipal moratoriums]