A citizen petition currently underway looks to prohibit all commercial cannabis activity in town. This petition has already obtained 174 signatures, far more than the number required for the question to be included on the warrant at the Annual Town Meeting in the spring.
The petition would ban the cultivation, sale, and manufacturing of marijuana products. It would not interfere with the provision of the law that allows each individual adult to cultivate six marijuana plants for personal use. If the measure passes at the spring town meeting, any marijuana business already operating will be grandfathered in, allowing continued operation.
Theresa Hoggins of Ann Lees Road has championed the petition, with the help of Will and Lisa Engler of Babbit Lane. They have canvassed for signatures at the Transfer Station, raised awareness on Nextdoor.com, contacted public officials, and attended relevant meetings.
Hoggins stated that many town residents were insufficiently informed when they voted on previous measures that allowed marijuana commerce to come to town. She contended that the wording of the 2016 state ballot question was “confusing;” the 2017 failed moratorium attempt occurred on the poorly attended second day of a town meeting; and the 2018 vote on the current marijuana bylaw occured after the exhausting debate over the new elementary school. She said, “I want people to have a chance for an open and honest debate about this,” and asked, “What message are we sending our youth by locating a marijuana establishment in the town of Harvard?”
The language of Hoggins’ proposed bylaw amendment is based on that used by Acton and Concord, two of the more than 200 Massachusetts towns that have adopted either a temporary moratorium or an outright ban on marijuana commerce.
One potential obstacle to those seeking to ban cannabis from Harvard is that Coil Brothers LLC, a marijuana processing company, is already deep in talks with the Planning Board and Select Board and could open as soon as March, far before the spring town meeting. Hoggins stated that she hopes, with the help of other citizens, to persuade those boards to delay voting until after the spring town meeting. Planning Board member and Select Board candidate Rich Maiore stated that neither board currently has any intention of delaying its deliberations.
