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A social equity exemption in Northampton's marijuana store cap raises concerns

Northampton City Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts.
File Photo
/
Daily Hampshire Gazette / gazettenet.com
Northampton City Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts.

A cap on the number of retail marijuana stores in Northampton, Massachusetts, could go into effect soon, though several city councilors have raised concerns about whether a loophole could be misused.

Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra did not support the cap of 12 stores but it could still have enough votes in the city council to survive her possible veto.

City Councilor Stan Moulton voted for the limit, saying he was concerned about the impact of pot shops on the city's youth.

The ordinance provides an exemption for social equity applicants, who are those who have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.

Moulton said he remains concerned about the "possibility of having a social equity applicant go through the process, obtain the host community agreement and the license then turn around and sell it to an out-of-town corporate retailer."

The Northampton Mayor's office said it currently has no requests for host community agreements from social equity applicants.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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