Last fall, petitioners petitioned Acton Town Meeting to direct the Acton Board of Selectmen to bring a vote to the ballot so that voters can decide if they want to ban retail retail marijuana shops in Acton. Voters overwhelmingly voted YES.
The petition process, to me, is sacred.
While in the past, I have spoken out for the rights of small farmers to grow pot, and sell retail, because of the overwhelming win for the petitioners at Town Meeting, my position has shifted. I won't organize against the ban vote OR organize against stopping any zoning that keeps shops away from Acton schools.
For me, the right to alter government via petition is much more sacred than the right to buy pot in a retail pot shop in Acton.
I spoke out against the ban petition, because I believe we have way too much regulation over small businesses, especially small farmers.
The Big Farms have deep pockets and have so much influence over government that they effectively regulate small farmers out of business.
Small pot farmers grow pot, because it's medicine to so many people.
BUT I have heard the voices from people who are literally AFRAID of pot shops being in Acton. I am of no mind to force people to have a retail store in their town for something that people can get easily without a retail store, especially now that a petition to alter government has been voted favorably by a VERY LARGE majority.
Since there are so many other sources for pot in Acton, I have made the choice to defend the petition. I shared my position with a pot farmer. And was told that the small farmers in the area will deliver to Acton, and it actually helps them to NOT have a pot shop in Acton because the Big Pot corporations are dominating the pot shop sub industry anyway...so no small farmers will be able to own brick/mortar retail outlets in the region, whether Acton bans or not.
Either way, to me, honoring and fighting for the non-binding resolution to put the "pot-ban-vote" to the voters is more important than fighting for the right to buy pot at pot shops in Acton.
To me, the right to alter government, as protected by the Massachusetts Constitution is way more important than almost anything.
If elected, you can count on me to defend the marijuana ban non-binding resolution, where Town Meeting voted to direct the Acton Board of Selectmen to put the issue of retail pot shops to the voters BEFORE there are any more shops permitted by Acton.
