More than two years after Massachusetts voters legalized recreational marijuana, the Waltham City Council could soon adopt an ordinance that would allow marijuana retail stores in the city.

But some Waltham residents remain opposed to having them in the community.

A group of about 70 protesters, including children, attended a marijuana forum hosted by the Waltham Democratic City Committee on Thursday, Jan. 17, at Government Center. The forum, with more than 100 people in attendance, provided a general introduction to marijuana businesses and an update on Waltham’s proposed ordinance.

Perhaps signaling what the City Council might soon face, at least 40 attendees staged a protest on the corner of Lexington and School streets before the meeting. A public hearing on retail marijuana has been scheduled for the City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 28.

One opponent of retail marijuana stores is Jose B. Rodriguez, pastor at the Waltham Christian Worship Center. He told the Waltham News Tribune that many of the protesters belonged to his or other parishes. Rodriguez said some voters did not understand the 2016 ballot question and thought they were voting for medical marijuana.

“I think the city of Waltham should be given an opportunity to decide whether they truly want recreational marijuana in the community,” Rodriguez said.

“No choice” for Waltham

But there is little anyone can do to stop retail marijuana stores in Waltham, a point made by Ward 2 City Councilor Bill Fowler, one of the speakers at the forum.

“The city of Waltham has no choice at this point in time but to open stores and regulate them,” Fowler said. “We cannot say no.”

Because Waltham voted in favor of the 2016 ballot question legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana, state law prohibits the City Council from banning retail marijuana stores. The only option to stop the stores would be an initiative petition put before voters. Signatures from at least 8 percent of Waltham’s registered voters would be required to submit an initiative petition, according to the Waltham city charter. Waltham has about 35,000 registered voters, according to recent election results, so about 2,800 signatures would be needed.

Proposed regulations

Waltham’s proposed ordinance includes:

• Limiting marijuana establishments to areas of the city zoned for commercial or industrial use, eliminating districts like Moody Street from having retail marijuana shops. Residential buildings would also be prohibited from having marijuana shops.

• Setting a buffer of 500 feet between marijuana establishments and “any pre-existing school, day-care center, park, recreational facility, elderly housing facility, facility for the developmentally disabled, or any facility in which children commonly congregate.” This requirement goes beyond the state regulation, which only limits the distance to public or private schools offering kindergarten or grades one through 12.

• Prohibiting smoking or consuming products at marijuana establishments.

• Allowing stores to open only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and stay closed on Sundays and holidays.

• Setting the number of marijuana retail store licenses at 20 percent of the liquor (or package store) licenses. Waltham currently has 19 of these licenses, according to the city’s Licensing Department.

The Jan. 28 hearing will also allow public comment on a proposal to extend the retail marijuana store moratorium until either the zoning ordinance passes or June 30, if it does not pass before then. Waltham’s previous moratorium expired on Dec. 31.

“Responsible adulting”

Also speaking at the forum was Peter Bernard, director of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, an organization supporting responsible cannabis legislation. He spoke about the different types of marijuana businesses and regulations imposed on marijuana retailers, including requirements for surveillance cameras at all establishments.

A concern raised by several attendees involved children gaining access to marijuana edibles, especially gummy products. Bernard, a medical marijuana user, said “responsible adulting” was key to keeping products away from children. He added that people should keep marijuana locked up at home.

A mostly civil tone was maintained throughout the meeting. Some opponents did speak out against retail stores, including Chris Palacio, who said he started using marijuana at a young age before turning to other drugs. He told the Waltham News Tribune that he had been sober for 10 years and wanted to keep retail stores out of Waltham to protect his children.

“I don’t want them to go through what I did,” Palacio said. “I don’t want to see my kids using drugs.”

Democratic City Committee member Jennifer Patton said strict requirements for marijuana license holders should ensure that children do not get access to retail stores. For Patton, the potential revenue from the 3 percent city tax assessed on marijuana sales is a key reason to allow marijuana stores to open.

“Waltham needs to look to other sources of tax revenue for the high school, fire station and police station – projects that are already underway,” Patton said. “These projects are going to put heavy burdens on those living on fixed incomes.”

Scott O’Neil, chair of the committee, said the forum was an important opportunity to raise public awareness.

“I think size of the crowd is indicating that the city needs to know more about marijuana,” O’Neil said. “It feels great to run this forum.”