Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
After enduring numerous delays and costly blunders the state medical marijuana program is now in the final stages of preparation. Over the last few months most of the news headlines concerning medical pot were focused on the potential growers. These grow companies raised millions of dollars apiece and their investors included prominent and powerful state residents. Needless to say there was a lot at stake when the commission hired a Towson University group to choose the best fifteen, and it was hardly a surprise when those that didn’t make the cut took their fight to the media and the courts. Despite pending litigation by a couple of disgruntled grow companies the other fifteen pre-approved growers are moving forward with their plans to plant their first seeds. Many of these multimillion-dollar companies are still awaiting final licenses, but there do not appear to be any imminent hurdles on the growing side of the Maryland medical cannabis operation. However, there are some new issues popping up on the dispensary side.
There has not been a great deal of talk about the hundred plus companies that have been preliminarily approved to sell medical marijuana to patients in need. This is partly due to the simple fact of timing; there was no point in dwelling on the details of dispensing until it was certain there would be a product to dispense. But now that the growers are in place the attention has shifted to the shops that will soon open for business throughout the state, and not all of the attention is positive. Residents in the area of a potential Baltimore County dispensary expressed concern over the location of a one future shop, and politicians responded by imposing new restrictions that could jeopardize the location of this business. A similar pattern of events has taken place in Anne Arundel County, Queen Anne’s County and Baltimore City. Many of the residents who have complained about the location of dispensaries support the medical marijuana program as a whole, but they just don’t want the stores in their neighborhood. The problem is that dispensaries have to go somewhere, and you can’t just make patients drive out to the boonies or into high crime areas to buy their medication.
As with most complaints about medical or recreational marijuana the latest concerns over the location of dispensaries are naïve and ignorant. The detractors assume that pot shops will bring in riff raff and crime to their neighborhoods, though the only support to this argument is the baseless stigma surrounding marijuana. Anyone who has traveled to areas around the country where pot is legal can attest to the fact that the dispensaries are highly sophisticated and secure operations, and their clientele just want to get in, buy their product and leave. You rarely, if ever, see anyone loitering around a dispensary, and the storefronts are clean and professional. Contrast this with local liquor stores that actually do bring in the riff raff, and are prime targets for robberies inside and outside of the store. Once the shops are open for business the stigma should start to erode, though realistically it will take a generation before marijuana is accepted not only as an effective medical product, but also as a safer recreational alternative to alcohol. As for dispensary locations, we do not feel this will ultimately cause additional delays to the program though the Blog will post an article in the future if this sentiment changes.
Benjamin Herbst is a Maryland criminal lawyer who handles cases involving marijuana and other drug crimes such as manufacturing and distribution. Contact Benjamin for a free consultation at 410-207-2598.
Resources
Neighborhood tensions arise as residents learn of plans for medical marijuana dispensaries, baltimoresun.com.