The Worcester City Council voted Tuesday to oppose Question 8 on the November state ballot, which would repeal legal recreational cannabis sales in Massachusetts.
The resolution passed with six votes in favor and five abstentions. Mayor Joe Petty and Councilors Khrystian King, Gary Rosen, Robert Bilotta, Jose Rivera and Luis Ojeda voted in favor. Councilors Morris Bergman, Tony Economou, Anthony Fresolo, Satya Mitra and Kathleen Toomey abstained.
Petty presented several reasons why legal cannabis sales have benefited the city and state, and how repealing them could cause harm.
“This is important, really from a safety standpoint, but [also] an economic development standpoint,” the mayor said. “It’s only been a decade ago [since] the voters made a deliberate choice to take cannabis out of the shadows and replaced an unregulated illicit market with a strict, accountable and aggregated system. Question 8 would wipe all of this framework away.”
The ballot question, if approved, would repeal recreational cannabis sales and laws permitting home cultivation, impose a civil penalty for possession of certain amounts of marijuana and change penalties for possession by minors.
Petty said legal marijuana sales allow Worcester police to focus on more violent crimes, illegal firearms and the fentanyl crisis, and that the economic impact of repeal would be devastating for Worcester and beyond.
“Economically, it would really deal a blow to a lot of local budgets throughout the state,” Petty said, adding that 27,000 jobs, 700 licensed businesses and $2 billion in revenue would be lost, including tens of millions of tax dollars to cities and towns.
Councilor Tony Economou said he agrees with cannabis sales and their benefits but didn’t think the city should be directing people to vote one way or another.
“I just don’t feel that this body should be the body to tell people what to do and how to vote,” Economou said.
Councilor Morris Bergman agreed.
“We have bright, intelligent, independent voters, who are going to decide for themselves whether or not they are or are not going to vote for it,” he said, adding that the council doesn’t need to weigh in on every question Massachusetts voters see on their ballots.
“We can make a great case for probably half of the nine questions before the voters,” he said. “I just think that picking or choosing any particular one is not right.”
Defending the council’s decision to take a position, Council Vice Chairman Khrystian King cited the benefits of legal cannabis sales, including public safety, local businesses and resources that Worcester residents count on. He said the oversight and regulation of cannabis give the city tools to address concerns, including youth access and impaired driving.
“The current system allows us to address those concerns,” King said. “We should be asking how to strengthen those protections.”
According to King, local retailers provide jobs and are contributing members of the community, in addition to generating tax revenue for the city.
“They’re trying to build something in our community. They’re investing in our community,” he said. “A repeal would reduce state and municipal revenue. That’s not telling people how to vote, it’s outlining basic facts.”
Councilor Gary Rosen, who had proposed a similar resolution in May that passed 9-0, defended the city’s right to take a position and said it is councilors’ duty to speak up for Worcester’s residents and businesses.
“It is our right, our responsibility, to let the public here in the city of Worcester know when harm might be done to some of our businesses, when harm might be done to some of their employees or all of their employees, when harm might be done to the revenue-raising ability of this city. It is our job to speak up. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we were elected.”
Rosen went on to say that the biggest proponents of repeal are those who sell illicit drugs illegally.
“They want this ballot question to pass, so that they can do their business. They don’t care about the safety – all these checks and balances that we have now. They don’t care about that. They don’t care about licenses [being] checked and the other safety issues that are enforced, and that there is a product that is of quality, and that is safe.”
Councilor Jose Rivera said he doesn’t understand why the question is on the ballot.
“I just know it’s a no-brainer,” Rivera said. “I just think that voting no on 8 is a smart path, not only for Worcester, but for the state of Massachusetts. I think we’re moving in the right direction. Why mess with that?”
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Director of Economic Development and Public Policy Michael Kane said the chamber supports a no vote.
“Voting no would ensure security for our local cannabis businesses, as well as it’s work force,” he said. “Worcester collected over $8.5 million in local cannabis excise tax between FY 20 and FY 25, however banning legal retail does not abolish consumer demand. Rather, it would surrender public commerce to an un-taxed illicit market, and eliminate consumer protection, such as mandatory lab testing and child-proof packaging.”
Peter DeCaro, founder and CEO of the Resinate dispensaries, said billions of tax dollars are at stake, as well as thousands of jobs. He said his company provides both medical and recreational cannabis, but many recreational customers use cannabis to treat medical conditions.
“We deal with people every day who come in and are riddled with anxiety, dealing with all types of issues, that are seeking an alternative way to deal with their pain or other symptoms,” DeCaro said.
Residents who spoke on the issue favored keeping the current cannabis laws.
“There’s no reason to stop and turn back time,” said resident Gary Hunter. “The marijuana laws have helped a lot of people. The quality is upheld if they keep the dispensaries open.”
Ryan Dominguez, chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, said voters approved recreational sales in 2016 and that repeal would take the state backward.
“Repealing recreational cannabis laws would take us backwards in many ways, including economically, with respect to public safety and public health for our communities,” he said, adding that current laws include strict oversight while allowing for personal use.
Steve Smith can be reached steve@stevephotographysmith.com
