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In the waning moments of this week's selectmen's meeting, after a long debate on solid waste, Selectman Serge Harnais raised the subject of marijuana, and what the town should be doing to prepare for the possibility that a medical marijuana dispensary might be proposed for America's Hometown.
One of the most noteworthy results of the Nov. 6 election was the success of several state ballot questions regarding marijuana.
In the states of Washington and Colorado, voters made allowance for the public's use of "recreational marijuana" for those over 21.
And in Massachusetts voters paved the way for the establishment of up to 35 marijuana dispensaries with at least one facility, but no more than five, to be located in all 14 Massachusetts counties.
When the details have all been worked out, state-approved marijuana will be grown, stored and sold all across the commonwealth to patients who have been previously certified by their physician.
Though the ballot initiative was approved by a majority of voters, many Massachusetts municipal officials have reacted negatively to the change in the law, and are trying to modify their local regulations to, in effect, ban these dispensaries altogether or, at least, from business, residential and school zones.
The apparent concern is that people who have prescriptions for marijuana (to offset nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of illnesses and conditions) are a disreputable lot and will sully the image of these otherwise stalwart communities.
In Peabody, a proposal has been made to restrict dispensaries to Route 1, to treat these dispensaries in the same manner as so-called "adult" businesses.
A similar sentiment has been expressed by the mayor of Melrose, and Woburn is proposing these dispensaries be kept at least 1,000 feet from residential areas, schools, churches or "where large numbers of minors regularly congregate" and at least 2,000 feet from a day care center, nursery school, playground or park.
Harnais did not propose specific changes to the Plymouth's zoning laws, but suggested the town should move quickly to look at what would be required to modify zoning regulations before any entrepreneurs attempted to site a dispensary in Plymouth.
The next day, however, Town Manager Melissa Arrighi suggested the town should not act precipitously.
"The Massachusetts Municipal Association is calling for more time to allow towns to adequately prepare for this law," Arrighi said.
The MMA, a nonprofit association that provides services to Massachusetts cities and towns, says the state needs to detail the processes and regulations before the law goes into effect.
"For example," Arrighi said, "the state's Department of Public Health must establish what constitutes a 60-day supply."
The Department of Public Health must also register dispensaries and each dispensary's agents, set fees for applying for dispensary licenses and more.
The new law calls for all of these regulations to be in place by April 1, but the MMA is lobbying to delay that deadline until July 1.
Arrighi added that the town's legal counsel, Kopelman and Paige, has already offered the opinion that zoning changes the town adopts now may have to be amended later as the DPH regulations are made more explicit.
"Therefore, based on the issues above," Arrighi said, "staff is recommending that we wait to see the regulations before making any other changes."
The other side of the story, of course, is that there will be many individuals and communities that see a silver lining in the new regulations, with the patients who benefit from the pharmacologic effects of marijuana as the chief beneficiaries.
In a community such as Plymouth, which is host to a major medical institution, medical marijuana dispensaries could also be seen as a logical extension of that industry and a logical way to bring business to the community.
Prior to the discussion of medical marijuana at Tuesday's meeting, Chairman Matt Muratore had participated in a discussion of the challenges the town faced in trying to work out an agreement with the county for use of the South Street transfer station.
"The county has its own issues," Muratore said, referring to its efforts to find new sources of revenue to stabilize the county budget.
When Harnais raised the issue of medical marijuana, Muratore joked that the county still owns a lot of land that, perhaps, could be used to raise a particular cash crop.
"Come to think of it," the chairman added, still smiling, "we have a lot of land, too!"
It was late and Muratore was clearly joking, but this new regulation also raises the possibility of a new industry in Massachusetts, with hundreds or thousands of new jobs and the potential for dispensary owners to earn substantial revenue.
Kind Industries, a Colorado-based company that has been involved in the establishment of hundreds of similar dispensaries in California, Colorado, and Arizona, has already opened an office in Framingham where it appears to be offering a franchise-style approach to the dispensary business.
"Kind Clinics is a Medical Marijuana Dispensary consulting company," the new Massachusetts page of their website explains, "and assists with all aspects associated with applying for, opening and operating a legal and compliant medical marijuana dispensary."
When you sign up for information on the company's website, it provides an executive summary "intended to provide potential owners of Massachusetts Medical Marijuana dispensaries the most accurate and detailed market research on the Massachusetts medical marijuana market to help you make an educated and informed decision on pursuing a business opportunity in the budding medical marijuana industry."
From their perspective, the new regulations represent a unique opportunity.
"The opportunity in Massachusetts to open your own dispensary will be significantly more lucrative then any other state that has come to pass their laws," Kind's website states. "The reasons are simple math. There will only be 35 dispensaries permitted by the state for roughly 6 million residents... These dispensary licenses will also have the ability to cultivate. This opportunity is not to be missed and will only be available to a lucky few."
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: wickedlocal.com
Author: Frank Mand
Contact: Wicked Local Plymouth Contact Us
Website: State still hashing out medical marijuana regulations - Plymouth, MA - Wicked Local Plymouth
One of the most noteworthy results of the Nov. 6 election was the success of several state ballot questions regarding marijuana.
In the states of Washington and Colorado, voters made allowance for the public's use of "recreational marijuana" for those over 21.
And in Massachusetts voters paved the way for the establishment of up to 35 marijuana dispensaries with at least one facility, but no more than five, to be located in all 14 Massachusetts counties.
When the details have all been worked out, state-approved marijuana will be grown, stored and sold all across the commonwealth to patients who have been previously certified by their physician.
Though the ballot initiative was approved by a majority of voters, many Massachusetts municipal officials have reacted negatively to the change in the law, and are trying to modify their local regulations to, in effect, ban these dispensaries altogether or, at least, from business, residential and school zones.
The apparent concern is that people who have prescriptions for marijuana (to offset nausea and other symptoms associated with a variety of illnesses and conditions) are a disreputable lot and will sully the image of these otherwise stalwart communities.
In Peabody, a proposal has been made to restrict dispensaries to Route 1, to treat these dispensaries in the same manner as so-called "adult" businesses.
A similar sentiment has been expressed by the mayor of Melrose, and Woburn is proposing these dispensaries be kept at least 1,000 feet from residential areas, schools, churches or "where large numbers of minors regularly congregate" and at least 2,000 feet from a day care center, nursery school, playground or park.
Harnais did not propose specific changes to the Plymouth's zoning laws, but suggested the town should move quickly to look at what would be required to modify zoning regulations before any entrepreneurs attempted to site a dispensary in Plymouth.
The next day, however, Town Manager Melissa Arrighi suggested the town should not act precipitously.
"The Massachusetts Municipal Association is calling for more time to allow towns to adequately prepare for this law," Arrighi said.
The MMA, a nonprofit association that provides services to Massachusetts cities and towns, says the state needs to detail the processes and regulations before the law goes into effect.
"For example," Arrighi said, "the state's Department of Public Health must establish what constitutes a 60-day supply."
The Department of Public Health must also register dispensaries and each dispensary's agents, set fees for applying for dispensary licenses and more.
The new law calls for all of these regulations to be in place by April 1, but the MMA is lobbying to delay that deadline until July 1.
Arrighi added that the town's legal counsel, Kopelman and Paige, has already offered the opinion that zoning changes the town adopts now may have to be amended later as the DPH regulations are made more explicit.
"Therefore, based on the issues above," Arrighi said, "staff is recommending that we wait to see the regulations before making any other changes."
The other side of the story, of course, is that there will be many individuals and communities that see a silver lining in the new regulations, with the patients who benefit from the pharmacologic effects of marijuana as the chief beneficiaries.
In a community such as Plymouth, which is host to a major medical institution, medical marijuana dispensaries could also be seen as a logical extension of that industry and a logical way to bring business to the community.
Prior to the discussion of medical marijuana at Tuesday's meeting, Chairman Matt Muratore had participated in a discussion of the challenges the town faced in trying to work out an agreement with the county for use of the South Street transfer station.
"The county has its own issues," Muratore said, referring to its efforts to find new sources of revenue to stabilize the county budget.
When Harnais raised the issue of medical marijuana, Muratore joked that the county still owns a lot of land that, perhaps, could be used to raise a particular cash crop.
"Come to think of it," the chairman added, still smiling, "we have a lot of land, too!"
It was late and Muratore was clearly joking, but this new regulation also raises the possibility of a new industry in Massachusetts, with hundreds or thousands of new jobs and the potential for dispensary owners to earn substantial revenue.
Kind Industries, a Colorado-based company that has been involved in the establishment of hundreds of similar dispensaries in California, Colorado, and Arizona, has already opened an office in Framingham where it appears to be offering a franchise-style approach to the dispensary business.
"Kind Clinics is a Medical Marijuana Dispensary consulting company," the new Massachusetts page of their website explains, "and assists with all aspects associated with applying for, opening and operating a legal and compliant medical marijuana dispensary."
When you sign up for information on the company's website, it provides an executive summary "intended to provide potential owners of Massachusetts Medical Marijuana dispensaries the most accurate and detailed market research on the Massachusetts medical marijuana market to help you make an educated and informed decision on pursuing a business opportunity in the budding medical marijuana industry."
From their perspective, the new regulations represent a unique opportunity.
"The opportunity in Massachusetts to open your own dispensary will be significantly more lucrative then any other state that has come to pass their laws," Kind's website states. "The reasons are simple math. There will only be 35 dispensaries permitted by the state for roughly 6 million residents... These dispensary licenses will also have the ability to cultivate. This opportunity is not to be missed and will only be available to a lucky few."
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: wickedlocal.com
Author: Frank Mand
Contact: Wicked Local Plymouth Contact Us
Website: State still hashing out medical marijuana regulations - Plymouth, MA - Wicked Local Plymouth
