BREWSTER – With recreational marijuana establishments firmly settling in across the state, numerous towns are still fighting to either keep – or ban – pot shops.
A coalition of Brewster residents from the group Concerned Residents in Brewster have been urging the town’s Board of Selectmen to keep fighting to ban the recreational sale of marijuana.
Town meeting voters approved a ban last year, but the town is now being brought to court over the ban.
The Haven Center, a marijuana distributor looking to open a medical and recreational shop on Route 6A, has joined cultivator Cape Cod Grow Lab and two real estate holding companies in a lawsuit against the Town of Brewster.
Cape Cod Grow Lab has proposed an operation to be located on Freeman’s Way. The case is before Judge Diane Rubin in Boston Land Court.
Last week, members of Concerned Residents in Brewster questioned selectmen on the status of the town’s ban and pending litigation. Members also re-stated their concerns with the opening of recreational sales in Brewster.
“Can you get back to us at some point on the status of you all, members of the Select Board, as to the defense of the proposed ban that was voted for by your constituents in a majority on December 6th?” Concerned resident Fred Budreski asked selectmen.
Other concerned residents pointed toward other aspects of everyday life that a ban would protect. For resident John Rolfe, his concern is with the effects of commercial marijuana cultivation.
“The intense cultivation of marijuana in greenhouses, which has a stench associated with its blooming that is equal to hog farms,” Rolfe said.
“It is an environmental hazard as a public health problem for people downwind, and given our thin peninsula with longshore and offshore, it’s something that needs to be really considered. It’s really really difficult to control.”
Town officials have not commented on the pending litigation in Boston Land Court.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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