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State Attorney General’s Office Strikes Down Ban
Posted by CN Staff on March 13, 2013 at 14:03:35 PT
By Peter Schworm and Kay Lazar, Globe Staff 
Source: Boston Globe
Massachusetts -- The state attorney general’s office today struck down Wakefield’s ban on medical marijuana dispensaries, ruling that towns can regulate, but not prohibit the centers under state law. Such bans would frustrate the purpose of the medical marijuana law, passed by referendum last fall, that allows patients with certain medical conditions to obtain marijuana for medical use, the ruling said.
“The act’s legislative purpose could not be served if a municipality could prohibit treatment centers within its borders, for if one municipality could do so, presumably all could do so,” the office said. Wednesday’s ruling addressed only Wakefield’s prohibition. Other Massachusetts communities have also approved bans, fearing the centers would spur an increase in crime. Other communities have focused on limiting where the centers can operate. In a separate decision, the attorney general’s office approved Burlington’s temporary moratorium on medical marijuana treatment centers, which bans such centers until mid-2014. Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said the attorney general’s ruling allowing cities and towns to adopt moratoriums on medical marijuana treatment centers sends a clear signal that communities can retain control over many aspects of the contentious issue. “Certainly the door is open, and we believe wide open, for communities to be able to regulate this,” Beckwith said. “For example, they will be able to prescribe the locations where a facility could be allowed or not allowed, for example not in a residential area, not near schools, not in a downtown commercial district.” The association continues to push for a six-month delay, until Oct. 1, in implementing the law, because most communities do not hold town meetings or elections until later this spring, making it difficult for them to enact bylaws before the new marijuana rules are scheduled to go into effect. State public health regulators today announced that they will release draft regulations of the rules on March 29, hold public hearings on April 19, and vote on the final rules May 8. If approved those rules will go into effect May 24.Source: Boston Globe (MA)Author: Peter Schworm and Kay Lazar, Globe Staff  Published: March 13, 2013Copyright: 2013 Globe Newspaper CompanyContact: letter globe.comWebsite: http://www.boston.com/globe/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/qJe8Dfj3CannabisNews  Medical Marijuana  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 13, 2013 at 20:06:12 PT
Pelosi To DOJ: Don’t Mess with Washington
Pelosi To DOJ: Don’t Mess with Washington, Colorado Pot LawsMarch 12, 2013The federal government should stop enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, with its draconian definition of marijuana, in Washington and Colorado, which voted last November to legalize and tax the growing and sale of cannabis, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told interviewers Monday. 
“The state (Colorado) has spoken: The law has been passed. There are issues with taxation and regulation, and we should get on with it,” Pelosi told the editorial board of the Denver Post.
 
Pelosi appeared with Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, who with Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, is sponsoring legislation to reform federal marijuana laws. Polis is proposing that the feds treat marijuana like alcohol. He would strip the Drug Enforcement Agency of jurisdiction, and turn it over to a renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives. 
Here’s video of Pelosi’s appearance:URL: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/03/12/pelosi-to-doj-dont-mess-with-washington-colorado-pot-laws/
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