NAHANT – The Town of Nahant could have a new marijuana bylaw proposed at the next Town Meeting.
The Planning Board is tasked with bringing forward the bylaw. According to section 14.02 of the zoning by-law, it serves as the special permit authority for marijuana establishments and marijuana treatment centers. Currently, there is no marijuana retailer or treatment center in Nahant.
The future marijuana bylaw will regulate hours of operation, delivery, waste disposal procedures, proposed fertilizer, pesticide water usage, wastewater plans, distances to certain facilities, and more.
At a meeting Tuesday, the board established the hours of operation for marijuana establishments: no earlier than 8 a.m. and no later than 7 p.m. — except from June through September, during which time marijuana establishments may operate until 9 p.m. The Planning Board does not want these establishments operating in the dark.
“No marijuana establishment shall have drive-through services,” said Rob Steinberg, chairman of the Planning Board Committee. He also stated that establishments shall be properly ventilated and, if there is to be cultivation, that pesticides, insecticide, and other chemicals must be properly dispersed.
Marijuana establishments will also be limited geographically, according to the board. They cannot be within 500 feet of any school or playground; 250 feet of any restaurant or facility that sell meals; 250 feet of any facility that sells or otherwise provides smoking accessories; or 250 feet of any facility that sells, serves, or makes alcoholic beverages. Additionally, marijuana cannot be sold, grown or cultivated in a motel, dormitory or mobile structure.
The bylaws require that marijuana retailers be a secure indoor facility that cannot disseminate, or offer to disseminate, products or product advertising to minors. Establishments may not allow minors on the premises.
“We only allow one marijuana retailer. The maximum number of establishments is no more than one. The maximum number of treatment centers shall be no more than one,” Steinberg said.
The marijuana establishment is allowed in the B1 area, which is a business district, according to the Nahant Master Plan. The marijuana treatment center is allowed to be in the B2 area, which is a limited business district.
