The timing of Jody Lehrer’s research findings could hardly be better. The recent graduate of the master’s in public administration program has been studying how communities around the state have reacted to the legalization of medical marijuana.
A one-year moratorium on dispensaries will expire in June in many area towns, and others across the commonwealth have been trying to cope with the change. Analyzing how all this has unfolded provided the recent alumna with a fascinating and timely topic. Her findings were cited in a Boston Globe article. It read in part:
Jody Lehrer, who researched the new law as a student at Bridgewater State University’s master of public administration program, found that of the 151 communities she surveyed, 77 percent passed a one-year moratorium on dispensaries, and 11 percent wrote new bylaws. She said many communities’ attitude toward zoning was “to wait and see who blinks first.”
In November, Ms. Lehrer was a panelist at an event coordinated by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which focused on the topic of the state’s rollout of medical marijuana. Some of her findings were posted on the council’s website.
Stay tuned for a complete feature about Ms. Lehrer and her work. (John Winters, G ’11, University News)
