Marijuana Dispensaries Fight To Open

Medical marijuana is coming to Massachusetts. Voters overwhelmingly approved it a year ago, and although it's still not for sale legally, it will be soon — probably in a city, town or neighborhood near you.

The law calls for up to 35 dispensaries across the state. And this week, in the first phase of the process, the state public health department approved the vast majority of applications — 158 out of 181. But there are many more regulatory hurdles ahead. That's because cities and towns across the state passed a blizzard of ordinances and moratoriums aimed at slowing the marijuana industry's march.

That's the case even in places like Cambridge and Brookline, where large majorities supported medical marijuana.

Andy Metzger, reporter State House News. You can find his piece on marijuana here.

Martin Lee, author of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, and Scientific.

Betsy DeWitt, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen in Brookline.