Bourne Select Board Enacts Temporary Freeze on New Marijuana, Aquaculture, and Alcohol Licenses

BOURNE -- February 6, 2024, Bourne Select Board unanimously freezes new licensing for marijuana, aquaculture, and on-premises alcohol while it writes equitable application rules. The board voted 5-0 on February 6 to enact a temporary moratorium on the three license categories, effective immediately, with a requirement that the board convene and produce a written completion plan if policies for any category are not finalized within three months. Monument Beach resident Steve told the board that three operating marijuana dispensaries could bring approximately $30,000 per week in direct revenue to the town and create 60 to 70 jobs at roughly $20 per hour with benefits. The board also unanimously adopted its special events policy on a third reading, effective immediately, and voted to distribute a comprehensive financial policy overhaul as a first draft to stakeholders including both school committees, the Finance Committee, and sewer commissioners; that package proposes raising the town's capital asset threshold from $10,000 to $25,000, a change that requires a town meeting vote in May. An ad hoc cannabis licensing committee is scheduled to begin its work February 13.