2 Can Go On, But No More: Milford Backs Pot Biz Ban (Again)

MILFORD, MA—You may have thought it was already official. It wasn't. Now it really is. In a contentious and frankly confusing ballot measure, Milford voters on Tuesday supported banning recreational marijuana businesses from town, but with a caveat: existing businesses can continue.

Of the 2,629 voters who cast votes, 1,921 voted yes and 706 voted no, marking around 73 percent backing the ballot measure. There are 18,215 voters registered in Milford, with 2,629 casting a vote in the special election, which marks 14.4 percent.

First, Milford joined (even if only slightly)others across the country by approving marijuana establishments during the state ballot question in the presidential election of 2016.

In September last year, Milford voters, by a little more than half, approved a bylaw to prohibit recreational marijuana establishments in the town. Then in October, at Town Meeting, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to allow those businesses that were established before July 2017 to continue. A vote on a town ballot would make the bylaw official.

Two Milford marijuana-growing businesses exist: Sira Naturals and ProVerde. Both are allowed to expand to recreational marijuana markets now that Milford voters approved the grandfathering measure.

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