"It forces the applicant to come in, and to really be thinking about what is this going to look like and what are we going to do?" McBride said. "And same thing with the municipality. You know, how is this going to look? What are the real issues that we're concerned about?"
Jim Borghesani of the Massachusetts Marijuana Policy Project criticized that new regulation, saying towns already hold public meetings in front of planning and zoning boards or selectmen before a business can open.
"No other businesses that I'm aware of are required to hold a public hearing if they're applying for a license in a certain town," he said, adding that he thinks marijuana businesses should be held to the same standard as other businesses.
