Despite the passage of medical marijuana during the Nov. 3 election, questions still remain as to how the drug will be regulated and where dispensaries will be established.
The law, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, grants the establishment of 35 dispensaries in Massachusetts in its first year and allows one to five in each of the 14 counties of the state.
Legislators have not yet decided where each dispensary will go or exactly how many there will be.
City Councilor Robert Consalvo, of Hyde Park, said many people who are not in favor of the law will continue to have concerns about the proximity of these buildings to schools and private residencies.
“The dispensaries will be here, but we want to give the communities a chance to speak out on their concerns,” Consalvo said. “That’s what needs to be discussed, but [the dispensaries] won’t just be put up anywhere. More practical places are being looked at, like near hospitals.”
Public meetings will be held starting Wednesday for community members to voice their opinions on where they believe a dispensary should be located. The main discussion on the placement of dispensaries centers on crafting new zoning ordinances that will dictate where a dispensary can or cannot be placed, Consalvo said.
Consalvo said the placement of dispensaries will vary by town and could be grouped with adult entertainment districts or zoned to operate in areas where other medical services are located.
Some groups who protested the passing of the legislation said discussion on the regulation of medical marijuana will be important.
“The legislation has passed already, so the next thing we need to focus on is the regulation of this law,” said Heidi Heilman, president of Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, “The present wording is not definitive enough and there are very little restrictions on where dispensaries can go and who has access to them.”
Heilman said she is concerned that the drug could come into the possession of those not licensed to receive it.
“It [Marijuana] will now be available in local communities, and the regulation of it needs to be monitored heavily so that the wrong people don’t get access to it,” she said.
Other groups in support of the law said they hope to see the legalization of medical marijuana spread to other states.
“Now that Massachusetts has passed the use of medical marijuana, we hope to see the rest of New England follow suit,” said Jim Daily, member of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition.
But Daily said he and other supporters recognize the need for regulation.
“The whole idea of medical marijuana being introduced is hard for some people to get used to, and I understand the need for stricter regulations around it in the beginning,” Daily said.
Daily said he understands the need for feedback from citizens in the community.
“New zoning laws make sense and are necessary, and community feedback is necessary too,” Daily said. “To ease communities into the idea and make the opposition feel more secure about it will help the acceptance and moving forward of marijuana legalization.”
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