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Towns look for ways to block medical-marijuana dispensaries

Richard Vetstein reports a number of communities are exploring their options for keeping pot purveyors out now that voters have approved that ballot question that calls for up to 35 of the dispensaries.

The legal issues surrounding municipal zoning and siting of medical marijuana dispensaries will likely follow similar cases involving methadone clinics, alcohol treatment centers/sober houses and even adult entertainment venues — all uses which are legal, yet subject to fairly strict zoning governance. Additionally, treatment centers could seek protection from the Americans With Disabilities Act and other disability laws which protect cancer, HIV, glaucoma and other qualified patients who are entitled to receive medical marijuana.

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Comments

So long as weed is illegal and the supply chain is completely uncontrolled, the $5 and $10 crap joints will continue to be freely available to anybody who knows a teen in the local high schools.

Seriously - get over yourselves, people. There are many multiple-year templates for this in other states. Study and select.

And, if you want to keep it out of the hands of kids - or at least more of it out of the hands of kids more of the time - legalize it, tightly regulate the supply chain, tax it to keep the price up to adult levels and pay for the regulation, and sell it in select licensed retail stores - like the much more socially and physically dangerous alcohol.

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Thank you. I mean if there is any place that will take its sweet time regulating something it will be MA. It's not like on Jan. 1 pot will rain from the heavens.

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Thank you Swirly! I agree.

I also think that if towns really want to do this, then the laws should apply to liquor stores too. Alcohol is a serious problem in this state, yet little is down to curb it because its 'legal'.

Yet elected officials are trying to squash this as much as possible, but seemly forget that alcohol causes much more damage than pot ever would. They won't bat an eyelash at a store who wants to sell liquor within 150 feet of a school....

As I ask people.. when was the last time you heard of someone dying from alcohol poisoning or in a DUI-related car accident? Pretty recently huh?

Now ask yourself "When was the last time you heard someone dying from smoking too much weed and/or dying in a DUI related car accident? Never (and this is weed-alone, not mixed with any other drugs).

If you answer Yes, then No. You have your answer to why this this type of 'regulation' is silly when it only applies to one substance, which causes little harm, and not to another, which causes a great harm.

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I'm SO sick of senior Bostonians with their complaints..."you cant do this" "you cant do that" SMH. Time to wake up the city that sleeps!

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electorate decided to vote for medical marijuana? Why are the politicians now blocking what the electorate has asked for? (

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and these are the same small town politicians who love to enjoy a Sidecar or a Rob Roy after a long day of forcing their antiquated morals on those in pain.

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If there are "some police officers" whom are against these dispensaries --- they're responding to their dowdy and repressed town/city officials. Get over it!

Really, simply take a look at the mortality and disability figures of alcohol abuse and misuse --- please. Booze is particularly, nasty! Also, sober housing/homes are by law limitedly zoned and restricted due to US Supreme Court rulings.

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open them up, heavily regulate them, and itll be fine. cant wait for all the lazy dealers to go out and get real jobs now.

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