Robert Celt
New Member
Ever since Massachusetts voters approved marijuana for medical use in 2012, municipalities across the commonwealth have been tweaking their zoning regulations to accommodate the law.
And West Springfield is no different.
At a Town Council meeting last week, officials held a brief public hearing on a petition by Mayor Will Reichelt to amend a section of the zoning regulations to allow medical marijuana treatment centers or registered pot dispensaries in West Side's industrial park zoning district. The Planning Board would have to issue a special permit to allow such facilities in town.
No action was taken by the council, which continued the hearing until May 2. However, there was a brief discussion after one member of the public asked a blunt question: "Why would we want this type of a business in our town?"
The answer: "It's regulated by state statute that we cannot zone it out of our community, unfortunately," Town Council President George D. Condon III said. "So we've restricted it as best we can under the laws of the state."
Bay State residents approved the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in 2008, followed by a 2012 ballot vote to legalize medical marijuana.
That's when roughly 63 percent of voters approved Question 3, the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2013, and eliminated criminal and civil penalties for possession of up to a 60-day supply of marijuana for personal medical use, as long as patients have a state-issued registration card.
Massachusetts became the 18th U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana after voters passed the November 2012 initiative. As far as the federal government is concerned, though, marijuana remains illegal.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts is poised to vote on a fall ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use by anyone age 21 and older. Proponents of the initiative say pot should be regulated and taxed and completely decriminalized.
But the "legalize it" movement is facing some tough opposition, including from Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and state Attorney General Maura Healey, who argue that pot is unsafe and legalizing the drug poses a public safety threat.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: MA: West Springfield Continues Public Hearing On Zoning Regulations For MMJ
Author: Conner Berry
Contact: MassLive
Photo Credit: None found
Website: MassLive
And West Springfield is no different.
At a Town Council meeting last week, officials held a brief public hearing on a petition by Mayor Will Reichelt to amend a section of the zoning regulations to allow medical marijuana treatment centers or registered pot dispensaries in West Side's industrial park zoning district. The Planning Board would have to issue a special permit to allow such facilities in town.
No action was taken by the council, which continued the hearing until May 2. However, there was a brief discussion after one member of the public asked a blunt question: "Why would we want this type of a business in our town?"
The answer: "It's regulated by state statute that we cannot zone it out of our community, unfortunately," Town Council President George D. Condon III said. "So we've restricted it as best we can under the laws of the state."
Bay State residents approved the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in 2008, followed by a 2012 ballot vote to legalize medical marijuana.
That's when roughly 63 percent of voters approved Question 3, the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2013, and eliminated criminal and civil penalties for possession of up to a 60-day supply of marijuana for personal medical use, as long as patients have a state-issued registration card.
Massachusetts became the 18th U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana after voters passed the November 2012 initiative. As far as the federal government is concerned, though, marijuana remains illegal.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts is poised to vote on a fall ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use by anyone age 21 and older. Proponents of the initiative say pot should be regulated and taxed and completely decriminalized.
But the "legalize it" movement is facing some tough opposition, including from Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and state Attorney General Maura Healey, who argue that pot is unsafe and legalizing the drug poses a public safety threat.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: MA: West Springfield Continues Public Hearing On Zoning Regulations For MMJ
Author: Conner Berry
Contact: MassLive
Photo Credit: None found
Website: MassLive
