Marijuana Still Up in the Air

Some residents were hoping the Town Council would set a date for a referendum vote on whether or not a recreational marijuana shop could come to Winthrop, but that didn’t happen.

First, town officials  have not heard back from the attorney general’s office on whether or not Winthrop can have its moratorium on pot shops extended into 2019.

Second, the Planning Board was supposed to meet on the issue Monday night but it did not have a quorum. The Planning Board is scheduled to meet Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Harvey Hearing Room. The Planning Board’s focus is on zoning.

There is also a signature drive going on to get the question of pot on the ballot and the Town Council’s Rules and Ordinance Subcommittee will take up any wording of a ballot question. That committee is expected to meet Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Harvey Hearing Room. The subcommittee met on the topic Oct. 9 to discuss the issue and four residents attended. The subcommittee viewed other ballots from other towns such as Newton, Acton, Wayland and a few more.

“We will work on preparing the question for the Town Council to vote on,” said Councilor Phil Boncore.