Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
New York state now has a medical marijuana law called the "Compassionate Care Act."
In my opinion, it is about time this plant-based medicine became legal to alleviate needless suffering. There are many maladies that respond much better to marijuana with far fewer side affects than the more dangerous synthetic chemicals produced by the pharmaceutical complex.
New York state will soon issue five licenses to "Registered Organizations" to grow and produce medical marijuana. These five producers will then be allowed to operate four dispensaries each for a grand total of 20 dispensaries throughout the state.
Medical marijuana in New York must be grown within the state and will only be prescribed by doctors who are certified by the Department of Health to prescribe it for certain serious conditions. It will only be available in ingestible forms like extracts, tinctures, oils, edibles, etc. and will only be available from a designated medical marijuana dispensary.
The state has not yet defined how the five licenses or location of dispensaries will be awarded. While it makes sense to locate the dispensaries with regard to population densities, the criteria for the growing facilities should not be dependent upon population. It can easily be grown and processed in rural areas and then trucked to the urban dispensaries.
Both Washington County and Warren County are vying to be the area's host county for a growing facility. Washington County has a proposed location at an old mushroom growing farm in the Town of Jackson run by a company called "The Compassionate Relief Centers, Inc." and Warren County has an old horse barn owned by the Peckham family in the Town of Chester.
Washington and Warren are adjacent counties with almost equal populations of around 63,000. However, these two counties have very different economic development models with Washington being much poorer than Warren.
Warren County has the Adirondack Northway, shopping malls, restaurants, motels, etc. plus the tourist side of Lake George, while Washington County has the farms.
In 2014, Washington County ranked 57th out of the 57 counties (excluding New York City) in the collection of sales tax per capita while Warren ranked fifth. Washington County collected a total of $19.7 million while Warren County collected a total of $49.4 million. However, when it comes to taxable sales per capita, Warren ranks number one in the entire State.
The state will impose a 7 percent excise tax on the product. This excise tax will then be parceled out so that 22.5 percent of it will go to the county where it is grown, 22.5 percent to the county where it is dispensed, 5 percent to the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, and 5 percent to the Department of Criminal Justice. The remaining 45 percent of the excise tax stays with the state as revenue.
Nothing says that either of these businesses will be awarded a growing license, and it is doubtful that both counties would be allowed to grow it since there will only be five facilities throughout the state.
In my opinion, when comparing the economic needs of the two counties, Washington County is the more compelling candidate to host a growing facility and the 30-plus full time jobs it would generate.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Washington County better suited for marijuana license
Author: Dana Haff
Contact: Send a Letter to the Editor :: PostStar.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: PostStar.com - Glens Falls, Saratoga, Lake George NY area news
In my opinion, it is about time this plant-based medicine became legal to alleviate needless suffering. There are many maladies that respond much better to marijuana with far fewer side affects than the more dangerous synthetic chemicals produced by the pharmaceutical complex.
New York state will soon issue five licenses to "Registered Organizations" to grow and produce medical marijuana. These five producers will then be allowed to operate four dispensaries each for a grand total of 20 dispensaries throughout the state.
Medical marijuana in New York must be grown within the state and will only be prescribed by doctors who are certified by the Department of Health to prescribe it for certain serious conditions. It will only be available in ingestible forms like extracts, tinctures, oils, edibles, etc. and will only be available from a designated medical marijuana dispensary.
The state has not yet defined how the five licenses or location of dispensaries will be awarded. While it makes sense to locate the dispensaries with regard to population densities, the criteria for the growing facilities should not be dependent upon population. It can easily be grown and processed in rural areas and then trucked to the urban dispensaries.
Both Washington County and Warren County are vying to be the area's host county for a growing facility. Washington County has a proposed location at an old mushroom growing farm in the Town of Jackson run by a company called "The Compassionate Relief Centers, Inc." and Warren County has an old horse barn owned by the Peckham family in the Town of Chester.
Washington and Warren are adjacent counties with almost equal populations of around 63,000. However, these two counties have very different economic development models with Washington being much poorer than Warren.
Warren County has the Adirondack Northway, shopping malls, restaurants, motels, etc. plus the tourist side of Lake George, while Washington County has the farms.
In 2014, Washington County ranked 57th out of the 57 counties (excluding New York City) in the collection of sales tax per capita while Warren ranked fifth. Washington County collected a total of $19.7 million while Warren County collected a total of $49.4 million. However, when it comes to taxable sales per capita, Warren ranks number one in the entire State.
The state will impose a 7 percent excise tax on the product. This excise tax will then be parceled out so that 22.5 percent of it will go to the county where it is grown, 22.5 percent to the county where it is dispensed, 5 percent to the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, and 5 percent to the Department of Criminal Justice. The remaining 45 percent of the excise tax stays with the state as revenue.
Nothing says that either of these businesses will be awarded a growing license, and it is doubtful that both counties would be allowed to grow it since there will only be five facilities throughout the state.
In my opinion, when comparing the economic needs of the two counties, Washington County is the more compelling candidate to host a growing facility and the 30-plus full time jobs it would generate.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Washington County better suited for marijuana license
Author: Dana Haff
Contact: Send a Letter to the Editor :: PostStar.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: PostStar.com - Glens Falls, Saratoga, Lake George NY area news
