NEWARK, NJ — Should medical marijuana facilities be allowed in Newark? The ball is now in the municipal planning board's court.

On Tuesday, Mayor Ras Baraka announced that municipal officials are thinking about allowing medical marijuana dispensaries – known as Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs) – to set up shop in the city. Baraka said that his administration has proposed an ordinance to the City Council that would amend the zoning and land use regulation plan in order to authorize the location of cannabis dispensaries in specific areas. The council referred the draft ordinance to the planning board for review.

As part of the effort to find possible locations for the dispensaries, which would be permitted "in close proximity to other medical facilities and in light industrial areas," city officials have identified areas where medical cannabis can legally take place. These areas are known as "Green Zones"… pun possibly intended. According to city officials:

"Under the zoning and land use amendments, Medical Marijuana Dispensaries are permitted in Institutional (Hospital) Zones and I-1 Light Industrial Zones. Cultivation, manufacturing and compliance (testing facilities) are permitted in Industrial Districts (I-1, I-2 & I-3). Although the NJ Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act does not have any buffer requirements for medical use, the proposed ordinance requires a 200-foot buffer from schools, colleges and parks." Baraka said that he supports the expansion of the state's medical cannabis program to Newark, and that it would reduce the burden on local residents who use medical marijuana and must now travel miles to secure that treatment." New Jersey currently has only six licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, although officials recently announced plans to expand the number of ATCs throughout the state. The dispensaries are located in: Egg Harbor, Montclair, Woodbridge, Cranbury, Secaucus and Bellmawr.

"We believe that medical marijuana dispensaries promote the health and welfare of cannabis patients," Baraka said. "We fully support access to medical cannabis for current and potential patients."

However, one of those who has expressed doubts about legalizing cannabis and expanding medical marijuana into urban areas of the state has been State Sen. Ronald Rice, who represents Newark, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington and Nutley. After a panel of lawmakers and community activists convened in Newark earlier this month to discuss legalization and the cannabis industry, Rice called the idea a "colossal blunder."