A Cecil Whig article (2016-08-15) reported that Cecil County is waiting to see if the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission will include the County when the Commission announces which applicants will receive grower and processor licenses later today. As previously reported on Conduit Street, the Commission received 146 grower applications, 124 processor applications, and 811 dispensary applications. State law allows the Commission to issue up to 15 grower licenses, an unlimited number of processor licenses, and up to two dispensary licenses in each of the state’s 47 senatorial districts (so up to 94 total). The Whig article stated that Cecil County has received three specific grower applications but that some grower applicants did not specify where they would locate. From the article:
According to a Washington Post analysis of applicants to the state commission, at least three of the 144 grower applicants have specifically stated plans to locate in Cecil County, including Citiva Maryland LLC, led by a former Syracuse, N.Y., police chief who serves on a prescription drug abuse advisory task force; LMS Wellness BLLC, whose security director, King Wilson White Jr., was once a Baltimore narcotics detective; and Pharmhouse LLC, whose chief executive Rohan Malhotra is a former Drexel law student.
Numerous other applicants did not specify where they planned to locate in the state, meaning Cecil County has a much bigger potential stake in the financial investments by such operations. At least two applicants that did not specify — The Clinic Maryland LLC and Freestate Wellness LLC — met with county leaders prior to submitting their paperwork to discuss possible placements.
The article noted that the County did zone growing facilities in agricultural areas and processing facilities in industrial areas and expressed general support for them:
The Cecil County Council sent a generic letter to the state licensing commission informing them the county has proper zoning in place for these operations and would welcome them to the county. County officials said the applicants they met with included a mixture of local and out-of-state prospects with most seeking a facility that would grow and process medical marijuana. They discussed locations around the county, estimated they could create between 30 and 50 jobs and none asked for government concessions.
The article also discussed the experience of former Cecil County Sheriff Barry Janney, who became the security head for True Health Chesapeake LLC. True Health has applied for a growing facility in Harford County:
Janney, who actively testified against the decriminalization of marijuana as the county’s top law enforcement officer, said he remains against the legalization of pot, but has come to recognize its benefits as a prescription drug.
“I’m not for recreational, but I do support medical,” he said. “I knew people who were dying of cancer and this was something they could have used to ease their pain. And there’s other instances where it can treat epileptic seizures in children.”
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