MASSACHUSETTS: On a unanimous vote, the Woburn City Council at its recent meeting extended the moratorium on medical marijuana shops by one year, until Dec. 31, 2014.

The council imposed the moratorium in February, but it was slated to expire at the end of this year. Several other communities have imposed temporary bans in the wake of the passage of a referendum in 2012 that allows medical marijuana shops in the state. At the time that moratorium was initially imposed, city officials were awaiting guidance from the state Dept. of Public Health, which subsequently issued guidelines for the sale of marijuana.

Councll members recognized the need for the city to come up with regulations for Woburn.

“The voters have spoken, and it’s very important we do this the right way,” said Ward 1 Alderman Rosa DiTucci. “This (extension of the moratorium) will give us a little bit of time, but we’re not going to ignore the voters.”

Ward 4 Alderman Michael Anderson and Alderman at-large Richard Haggerty, both of whom have said in the past they would prefer an outright ban on marijuana sales, also acknowledged the need for the council to come up with regulations.

“At some point, we need to address this,” said Anderson.