Though they believe it unlikely that recreational cannabis will ever be sold legally in Little Compton, members of the town council voted unanimously Thursday evening to allow voters to speak their peace on the matter later this year.

The council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution which gives the town the power to ask residents to vote on whether they want the town to allow the retail sale of the drug here.

The Rhode Island Cannabis Act, passed in May, legalizes the drug statewide and sets up a regulatory and licensing system for its retail sale, and will make a limited number of retail licenses available once retail sales are allowed after December. Towns can choose to opt in or out of retail sales, and can ask voters to decide the matter.

However, the ballot question could be rhetorical, councilors suggested. Though licenses could theoretically be granted in any town in the state, councilors said Thursday that they don't think Little Compton will ever see one assigned here.

"Because of our size, it is not likely that we would be assigned one of the available licenses," Andrew W. Iarte-Moore said. Still, "I'm totally fine with putting it on the ballot."

Councilor Gary Mataronas agreed, and suggested that putting the matter to a public referendum is the council's best option.

"There's a lot of things in this town that I would like input on from the town ... instead of this being put on our shoulders, I can tell you that," Mataronas said. "I would just like to see what the town thinks about it."

Thursday's vote wasn't the council's last word on the matter. With the resolution passed, the town must coordinate with the Rhode Island Secretary of State to draft the question and get it on the November ballot. Councilors are expected to discuss how they'll do that at their next meeting in early August.

And as for the town never seeing a license in the future, council president Robert Mushen offered a point to keep in mind:

"Never say never."