SPRINGFIELD — The City Council rejected a proposal to make it less restrictive to open a medical marijuana facility by matching the regulations for recreational cannabis.
The Planning Department proposed updating its medical cannabis ordinance, saying when it was first written in 2014, it was especially restrictive, allowing dispensaries only in industrial zones and banning them from being within 500 feet of any school, including colleges. The change was recommended by the Planning Board.
Four years later when voters passed a ballot question legalizing recreational, or adult-use, cannabis, city leaders were less concerned it would have a negative effect on neighborhoods. They adopted a less restrictive ordinance, also allowing dispensaries in a number of business zones and took away some of the more prohibitive regulations, such as banning them from being near colleges.
