Business & Tech
Medical Marijuana Rules Get Yes, No Votes on Martha's Vineyard
A year-long moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries passed in one Martha's Vineyard town meeting Tuesday, but failed in two others. A ban on public consumption of medical pot failed in one town and passed in two.
Medical marijuana patients may need to consult a map before they light up or eat their doctor-prescribed herbal medications on Martha's Vineyard.
Town meeting votes in three Island municipalities have created a patchwork of regulations on where residents and visitors may legally consume prescription pot.
Tuesday night, Edgartown voters passed a 12-month moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, but not a proposed ban on smoking or otherwise ingesting prescribed marijuana in public places.
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This effectively means that patients with legitimate prescriptions may smoke pot anywhere tobacco smoking is allowed, but they won't be able to fill their prescriptions at a dispensary in Edgartown for at least a year.
In Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, voters supported similar pot-smoking bans but doomed dispensary moratorium articles, which required a two-thirds majority to pass.
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This clears the way for the establishment of medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs, in state health department shorthand) in those two towns, subject to local zoning laws.
Oak Bluffs resident and MVRHS graduate Jordan Wallace, whose nonprofit Kingsbury Group Corporation aims to become the Island's first MMTC, was one of those who spoke at the Oak Bluffs town meeting, urging voters not to support a year-long moratorium.
After the vote, Wallace was jubilant on the Kingsbury Group Facebook page, posting:
"A huge thank you to all that came out and voted, and all of those who have worked with us to represent the people of the Vineyard! We are here for you, tonight and in the future. To our amazing board, especially John Wojkielo and Kirsten Gannen, your help tonight was invaluable, we're proud to have you both on the team. Reaffirmed tonight, this is a movement by and for the people. This is a victory for all of us."
For more about Wallace, the Kingsbury Group and medical marijuana on Martha's Vineyard, please see:
- State Releases Draft Medical Marijuana Regulations
- Medical Marijuana Hearing Resumes in Edgartown
- Edgartown Board Pleads Ignorance on Marijuana Rules
- Pot-Smoking Ban Drafted for Edgartown
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