Truth Seeker
New Member
The Planning Board Thursday night discussed if it should begin working on zoning for medical marijuana dispensaries or consider asking residents to extend a dispensary moratorium that was approved at annual Town Meeting this spring.
The moratorium, which was approved at Town Meeting on May 1, ends Dec. 31. Massachusetts voters approved a referendum in November 2012 legalizing medical marijuana. Each county in the Bay State can have at least one dispensary and no more than five.
Numerous communities in the MetroWest area have adopted moratoriums, which the Attorney General's office ruled are legal so local officials can review regulations from the Department of Public Health. However, communities cannot outright ban dispensaries.
"This is something the Planning Board will need to address at fall Town Meeting," Town Planner Nathaniel Strosberg said at the meeting. "I think it is important to start this as soon as we can."
Strosberg told board members they should consider extending the moratorium so they could have more time to deliberate.
Board members recognized they need to get a zoning bylaw in place for dispensaries at some point, and member Preston Crow said residents may not support a moratorium extension.
"I am concerned that if we ask for an extension there are a number of people in town who will say, 'We voted for this, we can't do moratoriums forever,' and they will vote no," Crow said. "I think that is a pretty legit argument. We should be able to come up with something."
Planning Board Member David Foster said he wanted to research and discuss the state guidelines for regulating dispensaries before they start talking about extending the moratorium.
"I'd like to see how far we get along before I say we need more time because we haven't started," Foster said.
Crow added he would like to hear from communities in other states that already have medical marijuana dispensaries to see if they really have created any problems.
When the Planning Board is ready to establish a zoning bylaw, local resident Joel Arbeitman said they should zone the dispensaries just like pharmacies.
"This isn't recreational," Arbeitman said to the board. "The two should be viewed in a very similar manner."
Chairman John Dudley said he would like to see the board start with more conservative zoning bylaws and then possibly make them more lenient over time if it is appropriate.
"My concern is the dispensaries and what they could become," Dudley said. "My concern is it becomes a congregating area for young people."
The board agreed that at its next meeting members will start looking at when they would need to hold public hearings and discussions in order to get an article on the fall Town Meeting warrant.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Joe O'Connell
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Ashland Planning Board discusses pot shops - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
The moratorium, which was approved at Town Meeting on May 1, ends Dec. 31. Massachusetts voters approved a referendum in November 2012 legalizing medical marijuana. Each county in the Bay State can have at least one dispensary and no more than five.
Numerous communities in the MetroWest area have adopted moratoriums, which the Attorney General's office ruled are legal so local officials can review regulations from the Department of Public Health. However, communities cannot outright ban dispensaries.
"This is something the Planning Board will need to address at fall Town Meeting," Town Planner Nathaniel Strosberg said at the meeting. "I think it is important to start this as soon as we can."
Strosberg told board members they should consider extending the moratorium so they could have more time to deliberate.
Board members recognized they need to get a zoning bylaw in place for dispensaries at some point, and member Preston Crow said residents may not support a moratorium extension.
"I am concerned that if we ask for an extension there are a number of people in town who will say, 'We voted for this, we can't do moratoriums forever,' and they will vote no," Crow said. "I think that is a pretty legit argument. We should be able to come up with something."
Planning Board Member David Foster said he wanted to research and discuss the state guidelines for regulating dispensaries before they start talking about extending the moratorium.
"I'd like to see how far we get along before I say we need more time because we haven't started," Foster said.
Crow added he would like to hear from communities in other states that already have medical marijuana dispensaries to see if they really have created any problems.
When the Planning Board is ready to establish a zoning bylaw, local resident Joel Arbeitman said they should zone the dispensaries just like pharmacies.
"This isn't recreational," Arbeitman said to the board. "The two should be viewed in a very similar manner."
Chairman John Dudley said he would like to see the board start with more conservative zoning bylaws and then possibly make them more lenient over time if it is appropriate.
"My concern is the dispensaries and what they could become," Dudley said. "My concern is it becomes a congregating area for young people."
The board agreed that at its next meeting members will start looking at when they would need to hold public hearings and discussions in order to get an article on the fall Town Meeting warrant.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: metrowestdailynews.com
Author: Joe O'Connell
Contact: The MetroWest Daily News Contact Us
Website: Ashland Planning Board discusses pot shops - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
