Pubdate: Wed, 19 Aug 2015
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2015 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Vicki Almond
Note: Vicki Almond is a member of the Baltimore County Council and 
serves as the president of the Women of MACo. This submission 
represents her personal views and not those of any organization.

TODAY'S MEDICAL MARIJUANA SELLERS MAY ONE DAY SELL RECREATIONAL POT

Applications for licenses to operate 15 medical cannabis growing 
facilities, 15 processing plants and 109 dispensaries in the state of 
Maryland will begin in the next few weeks. The citizens of Baltimore 
County, and residents throughout Maryland, are relying on their 
county council members and county commissioners to serve them well 
when it comes to the location of these medical cannabis facilities.

While the General Assembly has only legalized medical marijuana, 
which is a decision I wholeheartedly support, local government cannot 
be so short sighted as to just focus on today and ignore tomorrow. 
The point in the implementation of Maryland's medical cannabis laws 
has arrived where council members and commissioners must exercise 
county government's long-standing authority on land use matters. As 
the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission executive director Hannah L. 
Byron confirmed at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer 
Conference, these businesses must comply with local zoning regulations.

A fundamental rule of zoning dictates that if something is not 
explicitly in the zoning regulations, then it is not in the zoning 
regulations. Currently medical cannabis is not specifically mentioned 
in Baltimore County law. By authoring legislation regarding medical 
marijuana, my goal is to provide clarity for both investors in 
medical cannabis facilities and citizens who want to ensure that 
these new growing, processing and dispensing businesses will locate 
in areas acceptable to the community.

The alternative is to rely on bureaucratic or judicial 
interpretations of existing zoning laws. This is a recipe for 
confusion and uncertainty. Handling this process through existing 
zoning laws lacks transparency and would be rightly perceived as 
arbitrary. In my opinion, this would both negatively impact the 
medical cannabis industry and the communities in which these 
businesses intend to serve.

Further, Marylanders do not expect county government to put its head 
in the sand and ignore what likely comes next. The examples of 
Colorado and Oregon, combined with statements by members of the state 
legislature make it clear that sometime in the next "year or two" 
legislation for the legalization of recreational marijuana is a real 
possibility in Maryland.

If this happens, the likely first locations growing and selling 
recreational marijuana will be the existing medical cannabis growers 
and dispensaries. Therefore, my constituents will rightly expect me 
to take this into consideration when legislating the zoning of these 
facilities.

Just as Maryland's medical cannabis laws were amended and changed by 
the General Assembly in 2013, 2014 and 2015, I am certain that the 
legislation that I have proposed in Baltimore County will be amended 
and changed as circumstances dictate over the next month and in the 
coming years. However, I am not afraid to take on this legislative challenge.

I am proud that my bill has generated public discussion which has 
brought muchneeded attention to this important subject. I pledge to 
work with my colleagues on the County Council to create the best 
policies for Baltimore County based on the Maryland laws that exist 
today and the potential realities of the near future.

Based on my discussions at the MACo Summer Conference, I am confident 
that county government throughout Maryland will meet the new 
challenge of medical cannabis and whatever lies in our state's 
future. I request that the members of the General Assembly respect 
the role of county government as we begin to grapple with medical 
cannabis and the specter of recreational marijuana.

Appropriate zoning laws strengthen Baltimore County as a place where 
people want to live, work, raise a family and invest. Placing 
explicit zoning for medical cannabis facilities in the zoning 
regulations provides clarity and transparency for both investors and 
citizens. I have every confidence that my colleagues in county 
government will do what is best for their jurisdictions. That is 
precisely what I intend to do for Baltimore County.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom