WESTPORT — By unanimous vote at their last meeting, selectmen said they won’t stand in the way of marijuana shops opening for business in Westport.

“By making this motion, we are taking the prohibition option off the table,” said Craig Dutra who offered the motion.

That leaves the Planning Board the considerable task of creating a by-law governing such things as where the stores might be located, how big they should be, and other zoning related matters.

Although selectmen discussed the matter briefly at a previous meeting, this was the first time it had appeared on the agenda since town meeting. Planning Board Chairman James Whitin opened by asking selectmen to take some sort of stand on the matter.

Westport, he said, voted a one-year moratorium on recreational marijuana sales in order to give the state time to draw up guidelines in the wake of state-wide voter approval. The state has since come up with some of those guidelines and the moratorium will expire next June.

“We have a question for you,” he said.

The Planning Board wants “to come up with an acceptable by-law” for marijuana sales establishments.

“Coming up with a by-law that makes sense will take a lot of effort on our part so we would like to know, are you going to pull the plug or are you going to agree to have a marijuana by-law and facilities here in Westport?”

Not in my back yard?

Board of Selectmen support for pushing forward with marijuana sales and growing establishments ranged from strong (Brian Valcourt), to unenthusiastic (R. Michael Sullivan).

“I absolutely support licensing these types of facilities,” Mr. Valcourt said, noting that there is already a “sin tax” on alcohol and Westport needs the revenue that regulated marijuana sales would produce.

He repeated that both state and town voters had approved such sales — in Westport the measure passed by 503 votes, “a big margin for this town.”

But Mr. Sullivan said the biggest question — where to put such stores — has not yet been answered.

Voters did vote yes, he said, “but I don’t think residents of Westport voted that they wanted to have facilities in their back yard.”

He ventured a guess as to where they will be located.

“I bet I know where it is going to be and it’s not going to be in the south end of town. It will be up with all the other crap in the north end of town,” just as happened when strip clubs were forced on Westport.

“We always put the undesirable stuff at one end of town.”

What’s needed, Mr. Sullivan, is a precinct-by-precinct vote to see which precincts would like to have marijuana shops in their part of town.

He added, “I respect the will of the voters, I don’t necessarily respect the wisdom of the voters in this case.”

“Our process would be open to the public,” Mr. Whitin replied. Every effort will be made to get public input before the planners create a by-law.

Selectman Craig Dutra agreed with Mr. Valcourt.

“I support it as well,” he said. “At this point, we have so many neighbors (towns) who will have these types of facilities that we are trying to roll the block in the wrong direction if we oppose them.”

“I would not want to prohibit,” selectwoman Shana Shufelt said, adding that there needs to be discussion about the specifics.

Marijuana should be regulated in much the same way as alcohol, she said, saying she takes issue with a “confusing” suggestion that the by-laws allow for fewer marijuana shops then liquor stores.

Board Chairman Steven Ouellette said, “I’ve got to go with the voters in this,” but that he believes issues, especially security, need to be worked out. Such shops, he said, “can’t just go anywhere a liquor store can go … (they are) more vulnerable to being hit.”

Audience member Constance Gee said she is pro marijuana — in any commercial district including the village — “but I want to make sure it is done well … If you want to get it off the playgrounds, then regulate it.”

She said she has visited marijuana stores in Colorado and that security seems to be handled well.

“I couldn’t be more against this,” countered audience member Wayne Sunderland.

“We don’t need it. I don’t know why we have to support it. We are going to ruin this town if we allow it in here.”

Selectmen said that, in addition to the Planning Board, other boards, such as the Board of Health, will need to weigh in.

And any by-laws drafted by the Planning Board will need to be approved by town voters.