Marshfield police chief proposes banning all marijuana use in public

MARSHFIELD, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- The chief of police has proposed a new bylaw that would ban smoking or ingesting marijuana in any public place in the town, including for medicinal purposes.

Though public users without a medical marijuana card already face a statewide $100 fine, anyone in Marshfield found violating the proposed bylaw, using marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, would face an extra $300 fine, according to the Patriot Ledger.

Police Chief Phillip Tavares said that if the measure passes, those who have the authority to issue the fine, including police officers, town selectmen and other town authorities will do so based on circumstances and evidence.

The bylaw will be taken up at Marshfield's annual town meeting on April 28.

In the wake of the 2012 ballot initiative that legalized medical marijuana, some towns, like Wakefield, attempted to enact zoning laws that would ban or limit dispensaries from operating there.

Flat-out bans, Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a letter to the Wakefield town clerk, are illegal. Coakley has not weighed in on whether or not there are conflicts with such proposed bylaws like the one in Marshfield.

Cox Media Group