Boston officials approve a buffer zone for marijuana dispensaries

City officials decided Wednesday that marijuana dispensaries in Boston would have to be located at least a half-mile apart, reports The Boston Globe.

Boston City Council approved the rule so that, should voters approve a November ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, neighborhoods won’t be overcrowded with pot shops, Michael Flaherty, councilor-at-large, told the Globe.

Flaherty, who sponsored the rule, said he wanted to introduce a buffer zone after studying how other cities and states have handled the issue.

“It was a mad scramble to protect local businesses,’’ Flaherty told the Globe. “I don’t want to turn any one neighborhood upside down, and on its head, in a rush for these recreational marijuana shops.’’

Read the full story in the Globe.