Little Rock, Ark. – With medical marijuana now legal in Arkansas, cities across the state are trying to figure out how to regulate the new businesses that will be coming into the state.
That includes where dispensaries and grow centers will be located within communities.
Here in Little Rock, city leaders are already asking questions. Zoning battles often pit developers against neighborhood groups, and the location of medical marijuana businesses is sure to be an issue that draws a lot of attention.
“Where does it fit in with our zoning and where are they going to be allowed to operate within the city limits?” questioned city director Lance Hines.
Hines said he plans to pose the question to the city attorney during the board’s weekly meeting Tuesday evening.
“I think there’s gonna be some folks out there that didn’t vote for the medical marijuana issue that are going to have issues with where these dispensaries are allowed to go,” he said.
According to the amendment adopted by voters, dispensaries may not be located within 1,500 feet of a school, church or daycare center.
For cultivation facilities, the buffer jumps up to 3,000 feet.
Cities and counties have the ability to ban medical marijuana businesses, but it would require an ordinance approved by local voters.
Municipalities may enact zoning restrictions, but they must be the same as those applying to retail pharmacies.
“We didn’t want them to zone them like a strip club or an industry or something and put it in an area where people don’t really want to go,” said amendment sponsor David Couch.
The amendment allows up to eight cultivation facilities statewide and up to 40 dispensaries but no more than four in each county.
While some of the rules are written into the amendment, sponsor and attorney David Couch says other decisions are left for the yet-to-be established Medical Marijuana Commission.
“What’s the application process going to be like? Are they going to do a lottery? Are they going to do a scoring system? Exactly how are they going to determine who gets the dispensary and cultivation facility licenses?”
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Full Article: City Leaders Question Location Of Marijuana Dispensaries
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