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Pot or not?Cannabis question comes back around in Stowe.A Morristown cannabis retailer last week probed the Stowe Selectboard about the potential for cannabis sales in Stowe.Jimmy Goldsmith, a Stowe resident and owner of Wild Legacy Cannabis in Morristown, told the selectboard that Stowe could be one of the largest markets in Vermont, should the town decide to opt in to cannabis sales.As the owner of two Mountain Road properties — the Burt’s Irish Pub building and the former Blue Donkey building, which is nearly renovated after a fire when it housed Stowe Sandwich Shop — Goldsmith said he is ready and waiting to expand his cannabis business to Stowe.“If cannabis dispensaries are in your future, we feel like we’re the A-team,” Goldsmith said.Selectboard member Paco Aumand took a step back from Goldsmith’s proposal, stating the question isn’t about allowing certain cannabis businesses in Stowe, but whether the town even wants to allow cannabis sales, period.Despite a request from Goldsmith, the selectboard said it would not authorize a vote on retail cannabis without explicit buy-in from Stowe voters.“This selectboard has taken the position in the past that we will not lead the way in that effort,” Aumand said.“We have asked that anybody who wants to have a retail establishment or anybody who wants to buy retail cannabis should put a petition together to get the question ballot.” Selectboard chair Ethan Carlson and member Beth Gadbois agreed.“I don’t think we’re looking for another hot-button topic for the board,” Carlson, referring to the selectboard’s potential short-term rental regulations, said.Goldsmith, casting himself as a local hoping to sell cannabis in Stowe, indicated to the selectboard that he might take a crack at a petition.He is not the first cannabis advocate to appear before the Stowe selectboard requesting an allowance of retail sales or the first to potentially start a petition on the matter.Most recently, Justin Blehar, an entrepreneur and transplant from New York City, began collecting signatures for a 2025 Town Meeting Day ballot item, but his efforts fizzled out, along with other petitions in Stowe since retail cannabis sales officially began statewide in 2022.“This is not a topic that I feel comfortable making a decision for my community on, considering the last time a petition came out,” Gadbois said.“It needs to be something that the community is engaged in and has a say in.” Achieving a ballot item requires signatures from 5% of registered voters in Stowe, or roughly 220 signatures.If retail cannabis is ever approved in Stowe, individual businesses would appear before the Vermont Cannabis Control Board and Stowe Development Review Board for final approval.Goldsmith’s potential petition, if successful, would not guarantee him a spot at the table, but it would open the door for other cannabis businesses.“I don’t think it’s a great fit for our community,” selectboard member Nick Donza said.“We have an image of this quintessential recreational ski town, and I have no problem with people using cannabis or whatever, but there’s a lot of places to get it.I mean up until a year or two ago, we didn’t even have a pharmacy in our town, and people could still get prescription drugs other ways.” Keep it clean.Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't threaten.Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.Be truthful.Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.Be proactive.Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with us.We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.Local news is important.It's the information that will directly impact your life because it’s going on around you, every day.Join our group of dedicated readers today ...Connect With VTCNG News, arts, events, community and more from the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.Sign Up For Our Newsletter Our free weekly newsletters deliver the latest headlines, upcoming events and local information — straight from the newsroom!An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.There was an error processing your request.Sign Up For Our Newsletter Our free weekly newsletters deliver the latest headlines, upcoming events and local information — straight from the newsroom!An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.There was an error processing your request.