Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2013
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2013 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Jan Hefler

BELLMAWR SEEMS OK WITH POT DISPENSARY

While many New Jersey communities have refused to host medical 
marijuana dispensaries during the last three years, blue-collar 
Bellmawr seems more relaxed, even a bit surprised that others would object.

"I don't care. If they run it properly, then it's just another 
business," said John Brown, who owns a heating and air-conditioning 
establishment directly behind the building in the Camden County 
borough that is being converted into a marijuana clinic and cultivation area.

"If it helps people who are in pain and can't see, that's wonderful," he said.

Several officials, business owners, and residents in the borough of 
12,000 echoed the sentiment.

In a small industrial area just off Route 42, the Compassionate 
Sciences dispensary is expected to open early next year inside a 
plant that once pulsed with T-shirt screen printers that produced 
World Series fan wear and the like.

On Tuesday, workers were sealing the plant's window and door openings 
with cinder blocks to create a 16,000-square-foot area where 
marijuana plants would be nurtured under special lights.

The nonprofit is projecting a clientele of 3,000, said Andrei 
Bogolubov, dispensary spokesman. Compassionate Sciences Chairman 
William Statter, a See page 15

 From page A1 North Jersey pharmacist, has declined interviews 
through his spokesman.

If the Bellmawr site receives final state and local approvals, it 
would be the second to open in South Jersey and among six that will 
serve clients statewide. A grand opening is planned in the next few 
weeks for a dispensary that found a home in a warehouse in an 
industrial park in Egg Harbor Township.

Bellmawr is a 3.1-square-mile hub for trucks and tractor-trailers 
coming off the bustling Route 42 and nearby New Jersey Turnpike, 
I-295, and Route 55. The borough also is known for the Bellmawr 
Industrial Park, a huge tract that houses International Paper, 
Goodwill Industries, J&J Snacks, and other businesses and warehouses.

"Traffic is our biggest issue," said Mayor Frank Filipek.

The borough is also home to a huge U.S. Postal Service processing 
center that years ago was a target of an anthrax attack. It has a 
massive landfill that is being capped to make way for a redevelopment 
project that could include hotels and a marina.

The dispensary is renting space on Coolidge Avenue, a small, bumpy 
road traversed by big rigs, and is surrounded by distributors, 
manufacturers, and an Air-Gas facility. The landlord is Develcom, the 
landfill redeveloper.

It also sits next to a house on Creek Road. No one answered a knock 
on the door, but there were some signs that it may be occupied.

A half-block away, the owner of a bungalow on Coolidge said that he 
had heard about the dispensary but had no worries. "What's it going 
to hurt?" he asked, declining to give his name and shrugging his 
shoulders. "The cops patrol every seven minutes here. There's no problem."

When Compassionate Sciences planned to open in a vacated furniture 
store in Maple Shade two years ago, angry residents packed a board 
meeting. Some raised the specter of increased crime and "potheads" 
hanging around.

At the time, no dispensary had opened, and there was the fear of the 
unknown. Since then, Greenleaf Compassion Center has opened in a 
former drug paraphernalia shop in Montclair, an upscale community 
outside New York City.

Bogolubov said that after Maple Shade, the dispensary operators 
changed their strategy, embarking on a plan to educate town officials 
and win them over before going public.

"We realized we really needed to spend much more time in making 
people comfortable," he said. "It took several months of discussions, 
getting to know people, reaching out to the right people."

Filipek said that nearly three years before Compassionate Sciences 
made its pitch, he had opposed the plans of another dispensary 
operator because he was "leery of marijuana." But he said he changed 
his mind after he learned the details of the program, which restricts 
cannabis to the very sick.

Councilman John Bollinger said that he, too, came around, saying 
Compassionate Sciences had "all the answers right there" when they 
were told of the borough's concerns. He became convinced after 
learning that there will be 24-hour video surveillance and that the 
cannabis being sold is not potent.

Police Chief Bill Walsh said the facility will have "more security 
than Walgreens, which would have many more drugs in it than this place."

The Democratic-controlled borough council decided to welcome the 
facility. In return, Filipek said, the nonprofit would donate funds 
to local organizations, such as the Little League and firefighters.

He added that the borough has no legal authority to prevent the 
facility from locating there.

Bollinger noted that the borough's motto, posted on signs, is, 
"Bellmawr, Where Progress Never Stops." He said the borough invites 
businesses, to keep the taxes low.

The median household income in the borough, according to the 2010 
census, is $56,182.

Jerry Downing, who owns USA Flooring & Kitchens behind the proposed 
clinic, said he had no complaints.

"You can't just go over there and get marijuana. You have to go to a 
doctor," he said. "And marijuana never made anyone do anything 
horrendous. It's not like drinking and driving." Bill Nordt, owner of 
nearby Precision Metal, said he was not convinced the drug will be restricted.

"If it's truly for a kidney or cancer patient, OK. But how can they 
control it?" he asked.

Still, Nordt said he did not want to "create bad feelings" with his 
new neighbor.

"If it's already done," he said, "then I'll just hope for the best."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom