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Massachusetts

1. US MA: Anti-Overdose Drug Is Saving Lives In Quincy, Weymouth
   The Patriot Ledger, 15 Jun 2013 - QUINCY - One was an 18-year-old dumped in a snowbank near Quincy Medical Center in the midst of a heroin overdose. Another was brought to the Quincy police station near death by a family member. They are just two of the more than 180 people who have been saved thanks to a program to train and equip all Quincy police and Weymouth firefighters with the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, according to the two departments.
2. US MA: Hub Lobbyists Lead Pot Efforts
   Boston Herald, 15 Jun 2013 - Build Ties to Beacon Hill At least eight medical marijuana business owners and three pot advocacy groups have hired some Bay State lobbyists to forge connections on Beacon Hill as the infant weed industry starts to take root.
3. US MA: Ayer May Put Brakes On Medical-Marijuana Sales
   Ayer Public Spirit, 14 Jun 2013 - AYER -- The town could become among the first communities in the state to have a medical marijuana dispensary, or conversely, a Shirley man who wants to open a business on Central Avenue might have to wait a year or more to apply for the zoning permits. That was the message that could be read between the lines during a brief early-morning Board of Selectmen's meeting on Friday.
4. US MA: Provencher Has Safety Concerns About Medical Marijuana
   Standard-Times, 14 Jun 2013 - NEW BEDFORD - Although Police Chief David A. Provencher is not in favor of a medical marijuana dispensary in the city, he said he is committed to working through his security concerns with the prospective owners. The chief told The Standard-Times editorial board Thursday his "preference" is that the Center for Alternative Life Medicine locate outside New Bedford.
5. US MA: Mayor Seeks Temporary Medical Marijuana Moratorium
   The Somerville News, 13 Jun 2013 - Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is asking that the Somerville Board of Aldermen approve a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries through June 30, 2014, giving officials time to review both state regulations approved in May and Somerville's own zoning bylaws to ensure the city will adequately address and comply with the new law. The Massachusetts Public Health Council's 52 pages of medical marijuana regulations went into effect on May 24, following the legalization of medical marijuana in the November 2012 election. The state law allows a maximum of 35 nonprofit dispensaries in Massachusetts, including at least one and no more than five in a county.
6. US MA: Wrentham Town Meeting Approves Medical Marijuana Moratorium
   Sun Chronicle, 11 Jun 2013 - WRENTHAM - A request to adopt a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana treatment centers in town sparked a lot of the debate at the second night of the annual town meeting Tuesday, but was supported. Just 48 residents turned out to King Philip Regional High School - a far cry from the 499 who came through the doors for Monday night's first session. And instead of lasting to almost midnight, the second session wrapped up business about 9 p.m.
7. US MA: Two Towns Ban Public Marijuana Use
   Boston Globe, 09 Jun 2013 - Smoking marijuana on the street or in the park could soon become an expensive proposition in Norwood and Walpole, even for those with a legal right to possess the drug. At their recent town meetings, the two communities adopted bylaws banning the public consumption of marijuana including by those who are authorized to use medical marijuana under the state law adopted by voters last year.
8. US MA: Cities Rezoning For Marijuana Law
   Boston Globe, 09 Jun 2013 - While officials in Lynn, Melrose, and Peabody have voted to ban dispensaries in their cities, mayors in Malden, Newburyport, and Somerville have indicated a willingness to respect the November vote that legalized medical marijuana in the state and are preparing to zone locations in appropriate areas. In the aftermath of Attorney General Martha Coakley's March ruling that Wakefield could not ban medical marijuana dispensaries, several cities and towns north of Boston have elected to pass moratoriums that will allow them up to a year to zone where the shops could operate.
9. US MA: Lynn Preps For Pot Shop Ordinance Battle
   The Daily Item, 07 Jun 2013 - LYNN - Lynn is likely to be the site for a proposed medical marijuana dispensary, said a city attorney, but state officials won't start reviewing siting applications until late summer and fall. "The Department of Public Health is not accepting applications at this time," stated Public Health spokeswoman Anne Roach.