City works to pass rules
for potential medical marijuana dispensary
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The city is continuing to outline rules for a potential medical marijuana dispensary.
A public hearing, held last Thursday at City Hall, delivered the draft ordinance that included rules such as the dispensary must not be located within 500 feet of the nearest property line of any public or private schools.
“The idea of the ordinance is to allow a dispensary in the city given certain performance criteria,” said Ken Ardnt, member of the city’s planning and development department.
Rules about the odors and potential employees are also outlined in the draft ordinance.
Mary-Helena McImerney came out to the hearing to express her concern over the amount of marijuana patients were able to receive.
State law allows patients to receive 2.5 ounces every 15 days.
“We don’t know how much is actually therapeutically useful,” McImerney said, “If it’s too much, what are people going to do with all the excess?”
McImerney works at County Behavioral Medicine. She said the need to research the amount of marijuana needed for treatment is a nationwide issue but is something Aroostook County could look into.
“It would be great if we were able to study something like that here. Why not be at the forefront of this type of research?” she said.
The draft ordinance is now on its way to city council, where Ardnt would like the issue of caregiver regulation looked into as well.
Caregivers are licensed to assist with patient’s medical use of marijuana.
Ardnt said the state laws need to change so local government has access to information about caregivers. He believes performance standards should be enforced locally on caregivers.
The next public hearing to discuss the potential ordinance will take place during a city council meeting in May.
