Medical Marijuana Coming to Washington D.C
Published on 12/28/11
Washington D.C has made the brave move to proceed foward with their medical marijuana program beginning as early as this Friday. As our nations capital gears up to start opening up their doors for the medical marijuana industry the federal government continues to bust the same businesses on the West coast.
According to the Washington Times, the District's health department will pick 20 of the 28
applications it received to open cultivation centers by this Friday. They plan to cut down that list to just ten by early March. The department also plans to begin picking its list of marijuana dispensaries.
Currently, the District has 17 applicants from people hoping to run dispensaries. That list will then be reduced to 5 applicants by the end of March.
A News4 I-Team report found that many of the dispensairies and cultivation centers are hoping to set up operations in Northeast Washington. Neighbors there are concerned the facilities will result in more crime in their area, and some have pushed to block the new operations.
Cultivation centers must meet tight restrictions on size, a stringent 95-plant allotment, staffing and lighting, in addition to the buffer zones between cultivation centers and schools. According to the Times, if the District sticks with its timeline, the program should reach fruition by this spring.
