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AG: Towns can’t issue med. marijuana bans

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) – Massachusetts towns can't outright ban medical marijuana treatment centers, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley.

The ruling was in response to a by-law passed in Wakefield.

"The AG ruled that the outright ban conflicted with the statute passed by ballot petition in 2012 that ensures reasonable access to marijuana treatment centers," said the AG's office in a statement sent to Fox 25 News.

The AG reasoned that if one town adopted a ban, all towns could do the same making reasonable access impossible in the state.

Towns will still be able to adopt zoning laws to regulate marijuana treatment centers or enact temporary moratoriums on the development of the centers.

Also on Wednesday, the AG said it had approved a by-law imposing a temporary moratorium on development of medical marijuana treatment centers in Burlington pending a zoning issue.