Attorney General Says Towns Can't Ban Marijuana Dispensaries

The State Attorney General's office ruled this week that towns have the right to regulate marijuana dispensaries but cannot ban them all together.

According to Boston.com, the ruling is directed toward Wakefield's decision to ban pot shops in town , but would impact any other towns that would try similar bans.

Last month Holliston resident Marty Lamb submitted a Letter to the Editor advocating for a ban of dispensaries in town.

"Certainly the door is open, and we believe wide open, for communities to be able to regulate this,” Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, told boston.com  “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.”

Some area towns including Framingham are looking to implement a moratorium prohibiting dispensaries from town for up to two years while the town develops regulations and zoning for dispensaries.