Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
An application for a special zoning exception is submitted for a business. Neighbors who don't approve circulate fliers to generate opposition. It seems like a commonplace story.
Nothing, however, is commonplace when Maryland's nascent medical marijuana business is involved.
Evolution Wellness is the second county firm to submit an application to open a marijuana dispensary in Anne Arundel County, proposing a location in a former bank building in Edgewater. It was one of 12 businesses awarded a dispensary license in December for the county.
The company must navigate some of the strictest regulations on medical cannabis growers, processors and dispensers in the state. Evolution Wellness argues its application meets all the standards and now an administrative hearing officer will decide.
Just as happened when an application for a dispensary on West Street just outside Annapolis was submitted, community opposition has emerged. Drugfree Edgewater has been circulating fliers urging nearby residents to attend the June 8 hearing and oppose the dispensary.
There is no sign community opposition will be any more effective in blocking the special exception than it was for the Annapolis application, but the community should make its best case. Replays seem probable for most applications.
It is far more likely that delays will come from other sources.
A Baltimore judge last week granted a delay of the industry by a company suing to prove state regulators illegally ignored racial diversity when picking firms to grow the drug. Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams said a state commission cannot grant any more marijuana licenses until after a hearing Friday.
That's when he will decide whether to extend that ban until the conclusion of the lawsuit, which asks for the entire application process to begin anew.
ForwardGro in Lothian, the only company to secure a final cultivation license, will be there to argue why it should be allowed to continue growing the crop it plans to distribute by fall.
Pressure to delay also continues to build in Annapolis, where black lawmakers are lobbying the governor, House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller to recall the General Assembly and expand the industry to include minority-owned firms.
Gov. Larry Hogan recently issued an executive order to conduct a disparity study that examines whether minorities face a disadvantage getting into the lucrative medical marijuana business. It is a prerequisite to considering race when awarding state licenses.
Compounding state uncertainty are mixed signals from Washington. President Donald Trump expressed support for medical marijuana during his campaign, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions calls the benefits "over hyped" and is reviewing enforcement policy.
All this means that dispensaries, once approved, might not have anything to sell for some time. That, unfortunately, will cause longer waits for those who want the drug to address chronic pain, nausea and other ailments.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Our say: Medical marijuana fights are far from over - Capital Gazette
Contact: Contact Us - Capital Gazette
Photo Credit: Cherie Diez
Website: Home - Capital Gazette
Nothing, however, is commonplace when Maryland's nascent medical marijuana business is involved.
Evolution Wellness is the second county firm to submit an application to open a marijuana dispensary in Anne Arundel County, proposing a location in a former bank building in Edgewater. It was one of 12 businesses awarded a dispensary license in December for the county.
The company must navigate some of the strictest regulations on medical cannabis growers, processors and dispensers in the state. Evolution Wellness argues its application meets all the standards and now an administrative hearing officer will decide.
Just as happened when an application for a dispensary on West Street just outside Annapolis was submitted, community opposition has emerged. Drugfree Edgewater has been circulating fliers urging nearby residents to attend the June 8 hearing and oppose the dispensary.
There is no sign community opposition will be any more effective in blocking the special exception than it was for the Annapolis application, but the community should make its best case. Replays seem probable for most applications.
It is far more likely that delays will come from other sources.
A Baltimore judge last week granted a delay of the industry by a company suing to prove state regulators illegally ignored racial diversity when picking firms to grow the drug. Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams said a state commission cannot grant any more marijuana licenses until after a hearing Friday.
That's when he will decide whether to extend that ban until the conclusion of the lawsuit, which asks for the entire application process to begin anew.
ForwardGro in Lothian, the only company to secure a final cultivation license, will be there to argue why it should be allowed to continue growing the crop it plans to distribute by fall.
Pressure to delay also continues to build in Annapolis, where black lawmakers are lobbying the governor, House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller to recall the General Assembly and expand the industry to include minority-owned firms.
Gov. Larry Hogan recently issued an executive order to conduct a disparity study that examines whether minorities face a disadvantage getting into the lucrative medical marijuana business. It is a prerequisite to considering race when awarding state licenses.
Compounding state uncertainty are mixed signals from Washington. President Donald Trump expressed support for medical marijuana during his campaign, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions calls the benefits "over hyped" and is reviewing enforcement policy.
All this means that dispensaries, once approved, might not have anything to sell for some time. That, unfortunately, will cause longer waits for those who want the drug to address chronic pain, nausea and other ailments.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Our say: Medical marijuana fights are far from over - Capital Gazette
Contact: Contact Us - Capital Gazette
Photo Credit: Cherie Diez
Website: Home - Capital Gazette
