Pubdate: Thu, 09 Feb 2012
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2012 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Jan Hefler

S. JERSEY POT FARM CROP DUE IN FALL

The Harvest and Dispensary for the Gravely Ill Will Be in Egg Harbor Township.

South Jersey's first pot farm and dispensary is expected to open in 
Egg Harbor Township in the fall, 21/ 2 years after the state 
legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The Philadelphia Inquirer

None of six dispensaries authorized by the state has yet opened for business.

The Atlantic County town recently issued the facility a zoning 
permit, a prize that proved to be elusive in a string of other South 
Jersey towns after residents packed local meeting halls to protest.

"I feel better than I have in about six months. ... This has been 
hard. I've actually been through hell getting this done," said 
William J. Thomas, chief executive officer of Compassionate Care 
Foundation, a nonprofit that plans to dispense cannabis to about 
1,000 gravely ill patients each month.

Since last summer, local boards and officials in at least five other 
municipalities - Camden, Westampton, Maple Shade, Bellmawr, and Upper 
Freehold - rejected plans for marijuana operations after residents 
expressed fears of increased crime and "potheads" roaming their 
neighborhoods. "People are finally realizing this is a legitimate 
thing," said Thomas, explaining that the state requires security 
measures and background checks for owners and employees, restricts 
the drug to patients with certain serious diseases, and allows the 
drug to be dispensed only after the reduction of a component that 
causes euphoria.

New Jersey is one of 14 states - Pennsylvania is not one - that allow 
medicinal marijuana. Initially, Gov. Christie delayed implementation, 
then local opposition kept the novel businesses from getting approvals.

A nonprofit company in Montclair, Essex County, was the first to 
obtain local permits several weeks ago and now awaits final state approvals.

Egg Harbor Township Mayor James Mccullough said the township zoning 
officer issued a permit two weeks ago to developer Leo B. Schoffer 
when he asked to lease his warehouse to a marijuana dispensary. The 
85,000-squarefoot warehouse is in an industrial park off Delilah 
Drive between Atlantic City International Airport and the city's landfill.

The dispensary meets the requirements for the "general commercial" 
zone. It will be in a remote area with only a few scattered houses 
nearby, Mccullough said. "It's not something that we can deny," he 
said. "The medical profession of the U.S. and New Jersey recognizes 
marijuana is a treatment for many ailments and relieves the suffering 
of people with terminal illness. ... There's a medical need, and I 
think it will go forward and be a successful thing."

Unlike mayors in other communities who had to wrestle with the issue, 
Mccullough said that he had not received calls from emotional 
residents. Instead, he has gotten calls from "people who said, 'Thank 
goodness we'll be able to apply for and purchase the medical 
prescription that we need.' ... These people are desperate."

In Westampton, Burlington County, Mayor Sidney Camp and other 
officials last year told Compassionate Care that it could open a 
dispensary in a former lighting factory without special approvals. 
But when residents in a senior citizen complex down the road raised 
objections, Camp changed his mind and said the nonprofit would have 
to go before the zoning board.

Last month, the board rejected the proposal, saying the zoning 
ordinance did not say a marijuana dispensary could open in that 
section of the town, though it permitted commercial and manufacturing 
uses. Thomas filed a lawsuit, calling the decision capricious. A 
hearing was scheduled for next month.

On Wednesday, Thomas said his company would drop the lawsuit. It has 
signed a contract with Schoffer, a philanthropist who told Thomas he 
embraced the idea of opening a dispensary and helping sick people.

Mccullough said the dispensary would be an asset to Egg Harbor.

"I don't have any concern for what anyone else says. ... There will 
be naysayers out there, but I haven't heard any, and anyone of 
intelligence knows it will bring relief to people who are suffering," he said.

Thomas said the state Department of Health and Senior Services 
approved the location for a dispensary and soon would begin 
conducting background checks of owners and the 50 employees the 
company plans to hire. After he obtains a license to operate and 
completes a $500,000 renovation of the warehouse, he expects to begin 
growing pot in May.

The harvest should be ready for sale in October, he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom