Three years ago Chapter 369, An Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana, was voted in by the people of the State of Massachusetts. Over the course of those three years, more than 12,000 chronically ill patients have been granted cards permitting them to acquire medical marijuana at one of the small number of dispensaries that have been established throughout the state.

The City of Somerville has been looking at the pros and cons, and the whys and wherefores of what it will take to set up a dispensary here.

City planners and administrators are carefully weighing in on various permutations of such a development. It stands to reason that determining an optimal location for such a facility should be given the most thorough consideration as possible.

Nobody wants to make a poor decision in this matter. Several factors need to be taken into consideration. Questions must be asked and answered. Should such a facility be located as far away as possible from schools, playgrounds, and other areas where children congregate? Should such a facility be associated with a hospital or other type of health care facility? Is there a possibility for an increase in crime near this type of facility?

It’s been a long time coming, and many are impatient for completion of the process. Let us proceed cautiously, however, as we move towards finality. Better to be right in the long term than regret a poor decision made in haste.