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Norwell is poised to become one of the first towns on the South Shore to set up rules for newly legal marijuana dispensaries, possibly making it an attractive location for entrepreneurs looking to get into the state's nascent medical marijuana industry.
While most cities and towns in Massachusetts have adopted one-year moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries to give themselves time to draft local restrictions, officials in Norwell are pushing ahead with rules that would allow the facilities to open in its industrial parks. Voters will consider the proposal at town meeting Monday.
"With appropriate restrictions, I can't see any reason why we can't be ahead of the game and attract whatever economic benefit there is to it," said Gregg McBride, a Norwell selectman who supports the measure.
Those involved in advising businesses waiting to taking advantage the medical marijuana law approved by voters last November say there is intense interest in communities that are open to accepting dispensaries, which will be responsible for growing, processing and selling marijuana to qualified patients with a doctor's recommendation.
Robert Carp, a Needham lawyer who has held workshops for businesses trying to get into the medical marijuana industry, said he expects at least 200 companies to apply to open one of the first round of registered dispensaries. The state's Department of Public Health, which has released a draft set of regulations for dispensaries, expects to hold a competitive application process this summer and fall.
Carp said companies looking to open dispensaries would be under a tight deadline to begin operating once they are registered and will be forced to look to communities that will accept their businesses rather than waiting for moratoriums in other communities to expire. He said towns that have adopted zoning to accommodate the facilities are "very few and far between."
"If people know they can find a place that is zoned, that essentially has open arms to the enterprise, it would be foolish to try to go somewhere were they're not wanted," he said.
The communities that have adopted moratoriums say they need the extra time because they do not want try to draft local limits on dispensaries before the state has finalized its own regulations. Attorney General Martha Coakley has issued a decision saying that cities and towns have the discretion to place limits on dispensaries, but may not ban them outright.
South Shore communities that have adopted one-year moratoriums on dispensaries include Cohasset, Marshfield, Pembroke, Quincy, Scituate and Weymouth. Rockland and Hanover will consider proposed moratoriums at town meetings Monday.
The proposed zoning in Norwell has already won the approval of the town's planning board, advisory board and board of selectmen. Nearly 60 percent of Norwell voters supported the medical marijuana initiative in the November 2012 election.
Norwell's proposed zoning would limit medical marijuana facilities to a business district that includes Accord Executive Business Park and Assinippi Industrial Park and would prohibit them from locating within 500 feet of a home, school or day care center.
Anyone seeking to open a dispensary would have to seek a three-year special permit from Norwell's board of appeals, which would set the dispensary's hours of operations and impose any additional conditions. The permit could not be transferred from the original applicant, who must own or lease the facility where the dispensary is located.
Anne Johnson, executive director of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Association, said she views local moratoriums on dispensaries as "unnecessary" given the amount of information available in the legislation approved by voters and the draft regulations issued by the state. She said the facilities could become an economic boon for communities who adopted local regulations early instead of waiting until next year.
"In today's economy, when cities and towns are looking for anything that will improve their tax base and create potential jobs, I think they should be treated like other kinds of business," she said."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: patriotledger.com
Author: Neal Simpson
Contact: The Patriot Ledger Contact Us
Website: Norwell may welcome marijuana dispensaries - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger
While most cities and towns in Massachusetts have adopted one-year moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries to give themselves time to draft local restrictions, officials in Norwell are pushing ahead with rules that would allow the facilities to open in its industrial parks. Voters will consider the proposal at town meeting Monday.
"With appropriate restrictions, I can't see any reason why we can't be ahead of the game and attract whatever economic benefit there is to it," said Gregg McBride, a Norwell selectman who supports the measure.
Those involved in advising businesses waiting to taking advantage the medical marijuana law approved by voters last November say there is intense interest in communities that are open to accepting dispensaries, which will be responsible for growing, processing and selling marijuana to qualified patients with a doctor's recommendation.
Robert Carp, a Needham lawyer who has held workshops for businesses trying to get into the medical marijuana industry, said he expects at least 200 companies to apply to open one of the first round of registered dispensaries. The state's Department of Public Health, which has released a draft set of regulations for dispensaries, expects to hold a competitive application process this summer and fall.
Carp said companies looking to open dispensaries would be under a tight deadline to begin operating once they are registered and will be forced to look to communities that will accept their businesses rather than waiting for moratoriums in other communities to expire. He said towns that have adopted zoning to accommodate the facilities are "very few and far between."
"If people know they can find a place that is zoned, that essentially has open arms to the enterprise, it would be foolish to try to go somewhere were they're not wanted," he said.
The communities that have adopted moratoriums say they need the extra time because they do not want try to draft local limits on dispensaries before the state has finalized its own regulations. Attorney General Martha Coakley has issued a decision saying that cities and towns have the discretion to place limits on dispensaries, but may not ban them outright.
South Shore communities that have adopted one-year moratoriums on dispensaries include Cohasset, Marshfield, Pembroke, Quincy, Scituate and Weymouth. Rockland and Hanover will consider proposed moratoriums at town meetings Monday.
The proposed zoning in Norwell has already won the approval of the town's planning board, advisory board and board of selectmen. Nearly 60 percent of Norwell voters supported the medical marijuana initiative in the November 2012 election.
Norwell's proposed zoning would limit medical marijuana facilities to a business district that includes Accord Executive Business Park and Assinippi Industrial Park and would prohibit them from locating within 500 feet of a home, school or day care center.
Anyone seeking to open a dispensary would have to seek a three-year special permit from Norwell's board of appeals, which would set the dispensary's hours of operations and impose any additional conditions. The permit could not be transferred from the original applicant, who must own or lease the facility where the dispensary is located.
Anne Johnson, executive director of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Association, said she views local moratoriums on dispensaries as "unnecessary" given the amount of information available in the legislation approved by voters and the draft regulations issued by the state. She said the facilities could become an economic boon for communities who adopted local regulations early instead of waiting until next year.
"In today's economy, when cities and towns are looking for anything that will improve their tax base and create potential jobs, I think they should be treated like other kinds of business," she said."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: patriotledger.com
Author: Neal Simpson
Contact: The Patriot Ledger Contact Us
Website: Norwell may welcome marijuana dispensaries - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger
