HULL − Five years after the town banned recreational marijuana dispensaries, residents have turned a new leaf.
An overwhelming majority of more than 300 voters at a special town meeting Thursday supported allowing the sale of recreational marijuana. Such sales will require a special permit and approval by the planning board.
“We love Hull, feel we provide a good service, and want to continue to support our patient base, our employees, and continue to contribute to the town by adding recreational sales to our highly regulated and compliant business,” said Stephen Werther, president of the Hull medical marijuana dispensary Alternative Compassion Services, at the meeting at Hull High School.
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Werther has opened lines of communication with residents who had questions about his business. His 175 George Washington Blvd. store has been open since 2022.
Marijuana legalized in Massachusetts in 2016
When Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana in 2016, municipalities where voters supported it had to go through a process if they wanted to ban it. More than 1,000 voters in Hull voted in a 2018 special election to block the sale of recreational marijuana, but medical sales and personal use were still allowed.
But with the passing of time and as other municipalities took the leap with recreational marijuana, residents’ attitudes have changed. Even voters who weren’t fond of marijuana use accepted that some people use it for medical purposes and recognized the potential tax benefits. Hull would receive 3% from a sales tax on recreational marijuana.
“Five years ago, we didn’t know what the landscape for marijuana sales would be,” said select board Vice Chair Irwin Nesoff. “There was fear of too much traffic, people coming into town, people smoking all over town.”
Nesoff said Rockland collected $2.5 million in sales tax revenue from its three recreational marijuana stores. A fourth was approved earlier this year.
“It’s time for us to face the reality,” Nesoff said. “This is a legal business.”
Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hull voters support sale of recreational marijuana 5 years after ban
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