Sisters voters to decide on recreational marijuana

The city of Sisters is going to let voters decide on the future of marijuana in the city.

On Wednesday night, the city council approved a motion to have voters to decide if recreational marijuana will be allowed.

The motion will put recreational and medical marijuana as well as a 3 percent tax on the November ballot, if all goes well.

Currently, recreational and medical marijuana sales are not allowed within the city.

The first motion passed Wednesday by council on a 4-1 vote will allow for the sale of recreational and medical marijuana in the city, if voters approve.

The second motion, also passed 4-1, will allow for a 3 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales, if it is passed by voters.

City Manager Brant Kucera said it’s important to allow Sisters residents to decide how they would like to move forward with recreational marijuana, because marijuana legalization passed by such a slim margin when it was up for a statewide vote.

He also said the sale of marijuana in the city could have some positive economic benefits, aside from additional revenue.

“Judging by the receipts that we are seeing around the state, clearly people do spend their money on it, and so that means there are going to be people in town, who will venture downtown or where it might be that these are located and hopefully stay longer,” Kucera said.

It has not yet been decided where the funds could go from the 3 percent tax, if both measures are approved.

Kucera said it could go to any number of uses, such as adding additional resources to the sheriff’s office or toward affordable housing options in the city.

The proposed ballot measures will go to the Deschutes County clerk, and if the wording is acceptable, they will go on the November ballot.