Town Meeting voters in October will decide whether to allow medical marijuana treatment centers to operate in the town's "institutional zone," which is the area around Tobey Hospital.

Massachusetts voters approved a ballot question in November 2012 that legalized the prescription of marijuana by physicians for medical purposes. Since then, officials have been trying to determine where any treatment centers would operate in town.

If passed as written, the proposed Town Meeting bylaw will regulate the zoning of any treatment center in town.

"It's not just about getting high," said Planning Board Chair George Barrett. "There is evidence that marijuana is a benefit for some people."

State regulations mandate that anybody who wishes to open a medical marijuana dispensary have $500,000 in escrow before the person applies apply for a license.

The law allows for residents who receive permission from their doctors to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana, which is defined by the state Department of Public Health as 10 ounces. In ten ounces there are approximately 283.5 grams. One gram is the approximate equivalent of one joint.

The state has narrowly defined who qualifies for marijuana prescriptions in the hopes of preventing abuse of the law. In order to qualify, a person must be diagnosed with Hepatitis C, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), Crohn's disease or "other conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s physician."

Barrett pointed out that in some states that have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana, the criteria for patients seeking a prescription is a bit more broad.

"In some states you can get a prescription for a hangnail," he said jokingly.

There are 35 licenses available for marijuana treatment centers in the state, and there are nineteen applicants in Plymouth County alone.

Any potential applicants will have to wait before they're able to apply to open a treatment center in Wareham. Last spring, Town Meeting voters agreed to place a one-year moratorium on marijuana treatment centers in Wareham, in part because the state Department of Public Health was still working out the regulations.

Previously, there had been discussions about allowing the treatment centers to operate only in the town's industrial zones, such as the Wareham Industrial Park, but Barrett says housing the facilities among other medical operations makes more sense.

"There's some office space over there that's medical and we just thought it would be a less conspicuous place to put it, and maybe a little more accessible to people," said Barrett. "If people object to [the proposed bylaw], we'll move it."

There will be a public hearing on the proposed bylaw on October 21 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall cafeteria.

Residents will vote up or down on the measure when Town Meeting convenes Monday, October 28, at 7 p.m. in the Wareham High School auditorium.