Nov. 20—LYME — City voters have been nearly evenly break up on this 12 months’s common election on whether or not they wish to see marijuana dispensaries come to Lyme.
By a margin of solely two ballots, voters agreed to maintain the city’s opt-out regulation in place, barring any dispensaries or consumption websites from establishing themselves within the city’s borders. There have been 277 votes to maintain the ban in place, and 275 votes towards it.
Lyme’s City Supervisor-elect Terry D. Countryman, now a councilor, stated it appears the difficulty is generational — older residents do not wish to see pot shops come to city, and youthful residents do not appear to care as a lot.
“It is exhausting to actually gauge the place everyone is at this level. It will get actually shut,” he stated.
Present City Supervisor Scott G. Aubertine stated he believes a giant a part of why many individuals do not wish to see dispensaries come to city is as a result of they do not know what they may appear like.
The principles and laws concerning dispensaries and lots of different facets of the hashish enterprise are nonetheless unestablished. The state Hashish Management Board is about to draft extra guidelines within the coming months, however it could possibly be some time earlier than state residents have an concept of what a dispensary goes to be allowed to appear like.
The closeness of the vote does not change a lot for Mr. Aubertine, he stated. The bulk nonetheless dominated, and the city’s opt-out regulation will keep in impact.
Each he and Mr. Countryman stated there might have been some confusion over the wording of the proposition, nonetheless. A “sure” vote meant dispensaries would stay banned, and a “no” vote would permit them to return to city.
Mr. Countryman stated the city board would solely rethink the ban if a petition was circulated among the many city’s voters asking them to decide again in to gross sales.
The village of Chaumont, inside the city’s borders, handed its personal opt-out regulation in October. Village voters had 30 days to file a petition difficult that transfer, however no petition was submitted in time.
