In a 6-3 vote, the Cambridge City Council modified the zoning ordinances to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in business and industrial districts. Prior to this vote, there were only some places in Harvard Square where such establishments can be built, at the North Point Area and in the Fresh Pond Mall.
The Cambridge Day reports that due to the zoning changes, as many as half a dozen dispensaries might be built. Some of the important points in the amendment to the zoning include the rule that the dispensaries cannot open within 1,800 feet of each other and they must be at least 500 feet away from areas where children gather regularly such as schools, playgrounds or arcades. This amendment was proposed by City Councillor Jan Deveraux.
Though some councilors expressed concern that the 1,800 feet may not be enough a distance, Leland Cheung said that was not true. In fact that distance, he said, is actually more than four football fields combined.
But The Harvard Crimson reports that the city planning board actually opposed the zoning changes, not because they were opposed to medical marijuana, but they are concerned about the non-medical marijuana regulations. The three city council members who voted against the ordinance were Timothy Toomey Jr., Craig Kelly, and David Maher. Toomey expresses his concern regarding the legalization of recreational marijuana, which means that sellers of medical marijuana may be allowed to sell them for recreational purposes.
Kelly also vetoed the ordinance, saying that the proposed changes were imperfect. He voted against it as he did not want to regret his decision if things go wrong in the future. He said that the city council should have been more patient and waited to see how the recreational marijuana program will fare before it decided to pass the ordinance.
It was in November when a state-wide ballot initiative legalized marijuana. More than 54% voted to allow this, and as early as July of next year, recreational medical marijuana dispensaries may be built in the state.
