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When local officials discuss the pros and cons associated with a raft of local medical marijuana proposals and restrictions what becomes evident is that the challenge to strike a balance between voters who passed this fall's referendum and legal and health concerns is no small task.
"There's no doubt there is a segment of the population that could really benefit from this," said Hudson Board of Health Agent Sam Wong. The challenge is "how can we provide this as a form of relief for those people that really need it without causing any other problems."
Hudson is one of several communities pursuing a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries opening in their towns. Many communities, including Natick, Framingham, Hudson and Medway are looking at year-long moratoriums, giving leaders time to react to state regulations currently in draft form and develop zoning bylaws or other responses. Westborough has already approved zoning regulations.
The state Attorney General's Office has ruled communities cannot ban dispensaries.
Terry Hayes, president of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, said youth access to medical marijuana and smoking in public places are two concerns local health officials have raised. They also have to react to the possibility marijuana will be included in food products, he said.
"It's a huge change for Massachusetts," he said.
Natick Public Health Director James White, who was at a Thursday meeting where MetroWest officials learned about the state's draft regulations, said he was pleased to see the state took security seriously, including requiring dispensary workers to go through background checks.
Natick is pursuing a temporary moratorium at spring Town Meeting while the town evaluates state regulations.
"It's clear towns can't keep putting off addressing it," White said. "It's got to be addressed at Town Meeting in a timely manner (once final regulations are released)."
White said state officials put thought into the regulations and learned from other states, but said some officials were puzzled the state is keeping much of the regulatory control. Communities can petition to be more involved in oversight of the dispensaries, he said.
Hudson's Wong, who was also at Thursday's meeting, said the draft regulations are fairly comprehensive, so there may not be much need for local ones.
Peter Hayashi, 57, a Newton resident who uses medical marijuana to relieve debilitating pain, said he is anxious for dispensaries to open but understands the rationale for moratoriums.
"I have to rely on the black market, which for me is an awful thing," he said.
Melissa Dantz-Zerbel, a Framingham resident, said she saw the benefits of medical marijuana firsthand as her father battled effects of stage four melanoma and chemotherapy that left him barely able to walk around a room. After using medical marijuana, he was laughing and joking and more like he was before developing cancer, she said.
Dantz-Zerbel said she did not like how Framingham initially considered a zoning restriction limiting dispensaries to an expensive retail area along Rte. 9 called the the Golden Triangle.
"I would like to see them more open-minded," she said, adding dispensaries should be treated similar to how pharmacies are zoned. "It's an alternative medicine."
Framingham officials are pursuing a temporary moratorium and not the zoning restriction. Town officials have said restricting dispensaries to an area with higher real estate values could ensure they have a high-quality physical appearance.
Medway Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Susan Affleck-Childs said dispensaries are a brand new use without a model in the state.
"I think these are facilities that can be retail and can be production," she said. "We're just learning about a whole new form of enterprise."
Medway officials are eying a moratorium until the end of June 2014 and hope to present a zoning measure to Town Meeting in spring 2014, she said.
Milford Health Officer Paul Mazzuchelli said he is watching what other towns do. Discussions should involve people from all perspectives including planning, education and medical professionals, he said
Milford officials has discussed limiting dispensaries to two industrial areas while Franklin's board is expected next month to consider an industrial area along Interstate 495.
Westborough Town Meeting has already approved zoning that restricts dispensaries to the adult entertainment zone, a small area on the west side near the Northborough town line.
"This is not a typical use," Planning Board Chairman Lester Hensley said of the need for zoning restrictions. "It has certain risks associated with it."
Hensley said the draft regulations do a good job requiring structures to be secure, but still have ambiguity around quantities of different medical marijuana products that are legal. Hensley said he also worries about large cash transactions taking place at dispensaries.
"We'd hope (zoning regulations) conform with the way they treat any other business," said Anne Johnson, Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Association's executive director. "The voters have clearly voted and those voters live in those cites and towns discussing the myriad of approaches."
Johnson said prospective dispensary owners hope to open professional businesses that will be highly regulated and would become good corporate citizens.
Bruce Bedrick, CEO of Kind Clinics, LLC and Medbox, Inc., said the draft regulations offer many security protections including ID checks. Bedrick, who has a consulting office in Natick, has a dispensing system that uses biometrics to ensure authorized patients are receiving marijuana.
"The state Department of Public of Health has done a masterful job creating rules and regulations that will set the new gold standard," Bedrick said.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Brian Benson
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Towns struggle for balance with medical marijuana proposals - Top Stories - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
"There's no doubt there is a segment of the population that could really benefit from this," said Hudson Board of Health Agent Sam Wong. The challenge is "how can we provide this as a form of relief for those people that really need it without causing any other problems."
Hudson is one of several communities pursuing a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries opening in their towns. Many communities, including Natick, Framingham, Hudson and Medway are looking at year-long moratoriums, giving leaders time to react to state regulations currently in draft form and develop zoning bylaws or other responses. Westborough has already approved zoning regulations.
The state Attorney General's Office has ruled communities cannot ban dispensaries.
Terry Hayes, president of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, said youth access to medical marijuana and smoking in public places are two concerns local health officials have raised. They also have to react to the possibility marijuana will be included in food products, he said.
"It's a huge change for Massachusetts," he said.
Natick Public Health Director James White, who was at a Thursday meeting where MetroWest officials learned about the state's draft regulations, said he was pleased to see the state took security seriously, including requiring dispensary workers to go through background checks.
Natick is pursuing a temporary moratorium at spring Town Meeting while the town evaluates state regulations.
"It's clear towns can't keep putting off addressing it," White said. "It's got to be addressed at Town Meeting in a timely manner (once final regulations are released)."
White said state officials put thought into the regulations and learned from other states, but said some officials were puzzled the state is keeping much of the regulatory control. Communities can petition to be more involved in oversight of the dispensaries, he said.
Hudson's Wong, who was also at Thursday's meeting, said the draft regulations are fairly comprehensive, so there may not be much need for local ones.
Peter Hayashi, 57, a Newton resident who uses medical marijuana to relieve debilitating pain, said he is anxious for dispensaries to open but understands the rationale for moratoriums.
"I have to rely on the black market, which for me is an awful thing," he said.
Melissa Dantz-Zerbel, a Framingham resident, said she saw the benefits of medical marijuana firsthand as her father battled effects of stage four melanoma and chemotherapy that left him barely able to walk around a room. After using medical marijuana, he was laughing and joking and more like he was before developing cancer, she said.
Dantz-Zerbel said she did not like how Framingham initially considered a zoning restriction limiting dispensaries to an expensive retail area along Rte. 9 called the the Golden Triangle.
"I would like to see them more open-minded," she said, adding dispensaries should be treated similar to how pharmacies are zoned. "It's an alternative medicine."
Framingham officials are pursuing a temporary moratorium and not the zoning restriction. Town officials have said restricting dispensaries to an area with higher real estate values could ensure they have a high-quality physical appearance.
Medway Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Susan Affleck-Childs said dispensaries are a brand new use without a model in the state.
"I think these are facilities that can be retail and can be production," she said. "We're just learning about a whole new form of enterprise."
Medway officials are eying a moratorium until the end of June 2014 and hope to present a zoning measure to Town Meeting in spring 2014, she said.
Milford Health Officer Paul Mazzuchelli said he is watching what other towns do. Discussions should involve people from all perspectives including planning, education and medical professionals, he said
Milford officials has discussed limiting dispensaries to two industrial areas while Franklin's board is expected next month to consider an industrial area along Interstate 495.
Westborough Town Meeting has already approved zoning that restricts dispensaries to the adult entertainment zone, a small area on the west side near the Northborough town line.
"This is not a typical use," Planning Board Chairman Lester Hensley said of the need for zoning restrictions. "It has certain risks associated with it."
Hensley said the draft regulations do a good job requiring structures to be secure, but still have ambiguity around quantities of different medical marijuana products that are legal. Hensley said he also worries about large cash transactions taking place at dispensaries.
"We'd hope (zoning regulations) conform with the way they treat any other business," said Anne Johnson, Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Association's executive director. "The voters have clearly voted and those voters live in those cites and towns discussing the myriad of approaches."
Johnson said prospective dispensary owners hope to open professional businesses that will be highly regulated and would become good corporate citizens.
Bruce Bedrick, CEO of Kind Clinics, LLC and Medbox, Inc., said the draft regulations offer many security protections including ID checks. Bedrick, who has a consulting office in Natick, has a dispensing system that uses biometrics to ensure authorized patients are receiving marijuana.
"The state Department of Public of Health has done a masterful job creating rules and regulations that will set the new gold standard," Bedrick said.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Brian Benson
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Towns struggle for balance with medical marijuana proposals - Top Stories - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
