Milford becomes latest town to ban marijuana stores

Milford banned recreational marijuana shops on Tuesday, with 56.3 percent of town voters opting for a complete ban of any recreational marijuana establishments. 

The town joins dozens of others that have either voted to ban stores, enacted temporary moratoriums or imposed zoning restrictions on marijuana stores. 

The ban isn’t just limited to stores, however. Banned facilities now include marijuana testing facilities, marijuana product manufacturing, marijuana retailers and other type of licensed marijuana-related businesses in the town.

To complete the ban, voters at an upcoming Town Meeting will be asked to impose a zoning bylaw amendment banning such establishments in all zoning districts.

Last November, Milford residents voted with the majority of the state to legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana statewide by a mere 506 votes in an election that saw 76.1 percent of the town’s registered voters cast a ballot.

Tuesday’s vote saw just 29.6 percent of voters cast a vote.

Currently, Milford is home to two marijuana-related businesses: Sage Naturals, which operates a cultivation facility in an industrial park for medical marijuana dispensaries in the Boston area, and ProVerde labs, a medical marijuana testing facility.

Per the approved legislation, those businesses are now prohibited from exploring the recreational side of the marijuana business in Milford.