City seeks zoning for medicinal pot

“We looked at best practices. We looked at what our constraints were, and direction from the state — since that’s where this is coming from — and tried to present the most responsible ordinance for [council] to work from,” he said.

At the nonprofit Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society, executive director Patrick K. Nightingale said the legislation shows that “the city is making sure [dispensary] license winners don’t run into a problem.”

“We have to have them in areas where patients have access to them,” Mr. Nightingale said.

He said that “if you tried restricting them to industrial or semi-industrial areas,” dispensaries would land in areas where patients may be uncomfortable visiting.

Mr. Nightingale expects two more dispensaries to take shape in the city in the foreseeable future — one each in Lawrenceville and the Strip District. He said they would operate “like any other business, with the exception that dispensaries are going to have a very high level of security to make sure the inventory is safe” and to prevent attempted robberies.

Mr. Nightingale also is a partner at Cannabis Legal Solutions, a Down town based law firm.

Mr. O’Connor said the city will schedule a public hearing for input on the zoning. He expects council will take a final vote on the rules within a month or so.