WEST SPRINGFIELD – The West Springfield Planning Board voted on Dec. 5 to remove the temporary recreational marijuana moratorium and to make permanent the prohibition of recreational marijuana.

Allyson Manuel, Assistant Planner for the town of West Springfield, paraphrased an email from Town Attorney Kate O’Brien, stating, “Since the passage of the recreational marijuana ban through our general ordinance, it has been clarified that this should also be reflected in our zoning ordinance. This will have no affect on the ban that’s currently in place, nor will it revive the subject for discussion, it will just confirm in the zoning ordinance that recreational marijuana is prohibited and will refer back to the general ordinance.”

The moratorium that was previously in place was temporary and set to expire at the end of 2018. Voting to replace the moratorium places a permanent ban on recreational marijuana in West Springfield.

Manuel explained, “This doesn’t change the current status of recreational marijuana in West Springfield. The town council voted to ban it via general ordinance in the last few months and this just backs up the general ordinance with the zoning ordinance. So we are replacing the moratorium in the zoning with a permanent ban.”

Frank Palange, Chairperson for the Planning Board, commented on the current success of the two recreational marijuana dispensaries recently opened in Northampton and Leicester. “Anybody watch the news to see how much money they’re making in the two other towns? There was a line there tonight.” Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access in Northampton grossed over $2 million during their opening week.

The planning board voted in favor of removing the moratorium and will add language that bans recreational marijuana in the town of West Springfield. The West Springfield Town Council voted 8-1 in July to override Mayor Reichelt’s veto on recreational marijuana sales. While recreational marijuana was legalized statewide in 2016, West Springfield was among cities that rejected the ballot question.