Westport Town Meeting prohibits recreational marijuana sales

WESTPORT — It looks like prohibition of non-medical marijuana is back in town.

Town Meeting voters Saturday morning approved two articles that will prohibit the sales of non-medical pot.

One article will help enact a ban again while the other will prevent medical facilities from expanding into non-medical sales.

These votes come less than eight months after a Town Meeting in February voted to lift a ban on non-medical pot.

Supporters of this ban said on Saturday that a ban — or moratorium on non-medicinal marijuana — will allow the Planning Board to study zoning issues pertaining to siting marijuana facilities.

Former Selectman R. Michael Sullivan said legalization of non-medical pot within town is inevitable but a prohibition for now could help town planners “do their job” and zone it properly. Sullivan said the Planning Board was working on zoning issues in the winter before the February vote.

Police Chief Keith Pelletier gave an emotional address in favor of prohibition. He said a driver who allegedly caused an accident that took the life of a child in a three-car crash on State Road confessed to being under the influence of marijuana.

Pelletier said the issue needs to be studied further.

“We are handcuffed and we are not ready. The town is not ready for recreational marijuana,” Pelletier said.

Not everyone agreed.

Diego Bernard, of Coastal Healing, is in the process of building a medical marijuana facility on State Road.

Bernard last February led the effort to lift the prohibition so his facility could become vertically integrated, and sell non-medical marijuana as well as medical.

Bernard said his company, which received site plan and special permit approval from the Planning Board, has done everything correctly.

He said some of the same prohibition proponents have said publicly that they do not oppose his potential operation on State Road.

Bernard said it is difficult financially to operate a facility with only medicinal marijuana.

“It is very expensive to be a medical facility only,” Bernard said. “We are not going to change our footprint but just expand what we do.”

Selectman Brian Valcourt said that the town could have some legal issues over Saturday’s vote. He said the town has agreed on zoning which supersede town bylaws.

“We likely will get a lawsuit from one petitioner and future petitioners,” Valcourt said.

In other town business, voters approved an article that will raise taxes temporarily — through a debt exclusion override — to replace the aging roof of Westport Elementary School.

Before Town Meeting, Town Administrator Timothy King said it would raise taxes for the average taxpayer by $20 to $30 per year for the next 10 years.

Town Meeting also approved some financial measures that will add more funding to various department budgets for this fiscal year. This comes after more state revenue came in to help replenish operating budgets.

One voter questioned the appropriation.

Former Selectman Antone Vieira Jr. asked for support, especially for public safety personnel, who have operated with low staffing numbers over the years.