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Weeks after Massachusetts voters resoundingly approved a ballot question legalizing the use of medical marijuana in the state, officials in the MetroWest and Milford areas are starting to explore regulations that would control how or where pot dispensaries open.
In Westborough and Milford, elected officials are already making moves ahead of the Jan. 1 implementation of the law.
Westborough officials will hold a public hearing on their plan to regulate dispensaries after expressing worries about how the new law could impact crime and drug use levels - as well as departmental budgets.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Westborough officials talked about creating zoning restrictions that could make it tough for medical pot dispensaries to come into town. Planning Board member Joanne Mallozzi said she liked the idea of a ban on medical marijuana facilities, but Town Counsel Gregory Franks said he didn't think an outright ban would pass legal muster.
Officials ultimately said they would like to enact both the ban and the zoning restrictions, noting that if the ban doesn't hold up, the zoning bylaw would remain intact.
The town plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal, although an official dates hasn't been set.
In Milford, selectmen this week said that while they don't have a problem with a dispensary opening in town, they want to be able to ensure that it doesn't go into an inappropriate spot.
With the Milford Regional Medical Center in town, officials said there is a chance that a dispensary could seek to set up shop in town. The selectmen asked the Planning Board to nail down one location in Milford that would be a good fit for a dispensary or treatment center.
Elsewhere in MetroWest, local officials say the rolling out of the new law is on their radar, but say they have not taken any immediate action to get out ahead of the law.
In Marlborough, city councilors at an Urban Affairs meeting Tuesday night hinted that an agenda item relating to medical marijuana might come up at the City Council meeting Monday, but the meeting agenda released Wednesday had no mention of the new law.
City Council President Patricia Pope said the council is concerned about medical marijuana facilities locating near a school or downtown and said the city's legal department was in the process of reviewing the zoning regulations to see if any changes need to be made. Pope added, however, that a dispensary would need special permit approval, which is granted by the City Council, so the council would have a say over the location of the potential facilities.
In Framingham, Selectmen Chairman Charles Sisitsky said the board is waiting to see what regulations the state comes up with before taking any action on its own.
Meanwhile, state officials are also struggling with the timeline of the new law's rollout. State House News Service reported Wednesday that Department of Public Health Interim Commissioner Lauren Smith said the agency may need more time to write the guidelines supporting the new law.
The department has 120 days after the law takes effect on Jan. 1 to write regulations around the law, including those pertaining to treatment centers, home cultivation, dispensaries and medical marijuana registration cards, according to the State House News Service. Smith called that timeline "aggressive" and said the deadline may have to be changed.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Kendall Hatch
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Local officials grapple with medical marijuana law - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
In Westborough and Milford, elected officials are already making moves ahead of the Jan. 1 implementation of the law.
Westborough officials will hold a public hearing on their plan to regulate dispensaries after expressing worries about how the new law could impact crime and drug use levels - as well as departmental budgets.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Westborough officials talked about creating zoning restrictions that could make it tough for medical pot dispensaries to come into town. Planning Board member Joanne Mallozzi said she liked the idea of a ban on medical marijuana facilities, but Town Counsel Gregory Franks said he didn't think an outright ban would pass legal muster.
Officials ultimately said they would like to enact both the ban and the zoning restrictions, noting that if the ban doesn't hold up, the zoning bylaw would remain intact.
The town plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal, although an official dates hasn't been set.
In Milford, selectmen this week said that while they don't have a problem with a dispensary opening in town, they want to be able to ensure that it doesn't go into an inappropriate spot.
With the Milford Regional Medical Center in town, officials said there is a chance that a dispensary could seek to set up shop in town. The selectmen asked the Planning Board to nail down one location in Milford that would be a good fit for a dispensary or treatment center.
Elsewhere in MetroWest, local officials say the rolling out of the new law is on their radar, but say they have not taken any immediate action to get out ahead of the law.
In Marlborough, city councilors at an Urban Affairs meeting Tuesday night hinted that an agenda item relating to medical marijuana might come up at the City Council meeting Monday, but the meeting agenda released Wednesday had no mention of the new law.
City Council President Patricia Pope said the council is concerned about medical marijuana facilities locating near a school or downtown and said the city's legal department was in the process of reviewing the zoning regulations to see if any changes need to be made. Pope added, however, that a dispensary would need special permit approval, which is granted by the City Council, so the council would have a say over the location of the potential facilities.
In Framingham, Selectmen Chairman Charles Sisitsky said the board is waiting to see what regulations the state comes up with before taking any action on its own.
Meanwhile, state officials are also struggling with the timeline of the new law's rollout. State House News Service reported Wednesday that Department of Public Health Interim Commissioner Lauren Smith said the agency may need more time to write the guidelines supporting the new law.
The department has 120 days after the law takes effect on Jan. 1 to write regulations around the law, including those pertaining to treatment centers, home cultivation, dispensaries and medical marijuana registration cards, according to the State House News Service. Smith called that timeline "aggressive" and said the deadline may have to be changed.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Kendall Hatch
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Local officials grapple with medical marijuana law - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
