{"id":21083,"date":"2026-06-03T00:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/board-of-health-votes-to-recommend-cannabis-delivery-opt-out-hopkinton-independent\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T00:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:36:15","slug":"board-of-health-votes-to-recommend-cannabis-delivery-opt-out-hopkinton-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/board-of-health-votes-to-recommend-cannabis-delivery-opt-out-hopkinton-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Board of Health votes to recommend cannabis delivery opt-out – Hopkinton Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Nick Schofield<\/a><\/span> | Jun 2, 2026<\/span> | Featured: News<\/a>, News<\/a>
The Board of Health on Monday approved a motion 2-1 directing the Health Department to recommend the town opt out of new cannabis delivery laws.<\/span>
Monday\u2019s vote allows Health Director Shaun McAuliffe to approach the Select Board with other town departments regarding the law. He will recommend the town apply for a two-year waiver allowing it to opt out of cannabis delivery to residential addresses.\u00a0<\/span>
At the top of the discussion, McAuliffe claimed that the town\u2019s voting history on marijuana allows it to ask for this exemption.<\/span>
\u201cHopkinton\u2019s in a unique position where we did not vote to support the legalization of marijuana,\u201d he said. \u201cNot voting for that, we have special privileges when it comes to this new regulation.\u201d<\/span>
Legislation signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in April <\/span>restructured the state\u2019s Cannabis Control Commission<\/span><\/a>, and changed both possession laws and the issuance of cannabis business licenses. Delivery of cannabis products now is allowed in any municipality unless it already prohibits cannabis businesses and asks to opt out.<\/span>
In a <\/span>previous Board of Health discussion<\/span><\/a> on the law, members clarified that the town voted to ban marijuana businesses in town with an exemption for research and analysis.<\/span>
McAuliffe stated that the town\u2019s track record on cannabis and his own department\u2019s concern over the health impacts of the drug \u2014 particularly on youth \u2014 influenced his decision to pursue the waiver. He added that his department is cooperating with Hopkinton Youth & Family Services and Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention to discourage normalization of cannabis in town and present a unified front to the Select Board.<\/span>
Vice chair Mary Jo Ondrechen noted that the town\u2019s vote against legalizing marijuana was \u201cmany years ago.\u201d She hinted that residents\u2019 appetites regarding the town\u2019s anti-cannabis approach may have changed.<\/span>
According to election data<\/span><\/a> from the secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 51.6% of Hopkinton voters opposed the marijuana ballot question in 2016 versus 47.6% in favor.<\/span>
McAuliffe reiterated that the waiver request is consistent with the work his department already is doing with the community. However, if attitudes have changed, he welcomed residents to share their opinions.<\/span>
\u201cIf in two years the public has a different opinion and they want to voice that to the town manager, the Health Department and Youth & Family Services, by all means do,\u201d he said.<\/span>
Public health nurse Simone Carter offered her perspective.<\/span>
\u201cI see this mainly as a tool to keep it out of the hands of the younger, more vulnerable populations,\u201d she said.<\/span>
\u201cAs the Board of Health, we should try to protect our town as much as possible,\u201d added chair Nasiba Mannan.<\/span>
The board voted 2-1 to recommend the cannabis waiver to the Select Board. Ondrechen voted against the motion, reiterating previous objections to regulating the private actions of adults.<\/span>
During her public health nursing update, Carter addressed questions raised about hantavirus and Ebola. While she brushed away worries about hantavirus \u2014 stating it is \u201cnot an issue\u201d \u2014 she expressed concerns over Ebola monitoring as the disease ramps up in other parts of the world.<\/span>
\u201cWe need to keep an eye on Ebola,\u201d she said. She noted federal cuts in disease monitoring and prevention \u2014 particularly to USAID \u2014 along with the United States\u2019 <\/span>withdrawal from the World Health Organization<\/span><\/a> pose problems for managing disease spread.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cWhen [infrastructure] is cut, it means that all that upstreaming prevention is no longer there,\u201d Carter continued.\u00a0<\/span>
Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks continue to worsen as the disease is \u201coutpacing the response,\u201d <\/span>according to reporting from NPR<\/span><\/a>. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <\/span>stated in a recent update<\/span><\/a> about the outbreak that \u201cthe overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low.\u201d<\/span>
Carter recommended residents cancel travel plans to affected regions and be mindful of current media coverage. \u201cMy plea would be to be aware and understand that the numbers that you see are not truly reflecting on what\u2019s happening on the ground,\u201d she said.<\/span>
Mannan brought up concerns over the expected influx of international visitors to the region for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Boston\u2019s official World Cup page estimates that <\/span>2 million people will visit the Greater Boston area<\/span><\/a> from June 11-July 9.<\/span>
McAuliffe allayed Mannan\u2019s concerns regarding FIFA visitors and Ebola, stating that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health does believe the virus is a concern but is not likely to show up in Boston.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cFlu is actually the concern with the state,\u201d McAuliffe said. He explained that visitors coming from the southern hemisphere currently are experiencing their flu seasons.\u00a0<\/span>
McAuliffe added that one of the primary areas of confusion is lack of clarity over how many people will attend World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. \u201cMy understanding is they haven\u2019t sold out, and they\u2019re far from selling out,\u201d he said.<\/span>
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