The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Marijuana dispensary application approved
Further nod needed from state
PORTLAND — The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a plan this week for a Marlborough Street building to become a medical marijuana dispensary — if the state grants the building a license.
The 3,960-square-foot, newly-constructed building is located at 185 Marlborough St. It is owned by Rosario Agostino.
The commission has previously approved a zoning amendment that allowed for dispensaries as a permitted use in town.
The P&Z meeting was held to approve the Agostino building as a specific for use as a dispensary.
There are currently eight medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, serving as estimated 26,000 registered people.
Late last year, the state Department of Consumer Protection announced it was considering adding between three and 10 new dispensaries.
To date, the DCP has received more than 70 applications.
Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia also have medical marijuana programs.
In all, there are 22 illnesses that can be treated with medical marijuana in Connecticut.
They are: Cancer; glaucoma; positive status for HIV or AIDS ; Parkinson’s disease; multiple sclerosis; damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity; epilepsy; cachexia; wasting syndrome; Crohn’s disease; post-traumatic stress disorder; sickle cell disease; post
There are 22 illnesses that can be treated with medical marijuana in Connecticut.
laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy; severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ulcerative colitis; complex regional pain syndrome; cerebral palsy; cystic fibrosis; irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity; terminal illness requiring end-of-life care; and uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder.
The application was filed by Mountain Laurel Living, a Walling fordbased company.
Jerry Farrell Jr., an attorney for Mountain Laurel, said the DCP “hopes to make a decision by fall” about where the new dispensaries will be located.
At present, the dispensaries closest to Portland are in Uncasville, Hartford and Bristol.
He said Mountain Laurel will construct three consultation rooms in the building.
Admission to the pharmacy will only be limited to licensed patients who have an appointment.
There will be a licensed pharmacist and two to four other personnel on site.
Patients will be referred to the dispensaries by their doctors.
But it will be up to the on-site pharmacist to conduct a detailed consultation with each new patient, Farrell said.
The pharmacist will also be responsible for choosing which strain of marijuana and what delivery system — oil or a patch, for instance — is best for each patient, he said.
Prodded by PZC Chairman Bruce Tyler, Farrell suggested perhaps 50 patients a day would come to the dispensary — again, only by appointment.
Farrell also said each patient must affiliate with one dispensary.
Commission member Bob Ellsworth pressed Farrell on the security aspects of the operation.
Without being too specific, Farrell said there were be a full-time security guard on the premises.
The commission made quick work of the application, approving it unanimously after adopting a series of stipulations that Mountain Laurel meet all the necessary requirements as set forth by the fire chief and the fire marshal.
The permit is good for five years.
Farrell said Mountain Laurel had chosen Portland because, “There’s not a lot of coverage here, and it had some pretty decent highways here.”