Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The Planning and Zoning Commission plans to hold a workshop later this month to discuss a possible regulation change to allow a medical marijuana facility in town.
"When the state of Connecticut changed their laws (in 2012), we as a commission decided that rather than have someone come in with a zone change, we'd issue a moratorium so we can look at the issue," said PZC member Jim Fitzsimmons. "This is the first extension of the moratorium to give us time to review things and say what we're going to do, which is look at changes."
The PZC will hold the workshop at its March 24 meeting.
Since the law was changed, the state Department of Consumer Protection issued four producer licenses and six dispensary licenses. The six dispensaries are in Hartford, Branford, Bethel, South Windsor, Uncasville and Bristol.
More than 3,000 patients registered with the state to receive medicinal marijuana, according to the department.
A year ago, the former International Silver Co. site on South Broad Street in Meriden was passed over by the department to become a medical marijuana manufacturing facility.
Central Connecticut Health Ventures, which included Jerry Farrell Jr., a Wallingford lawyer, former town councilor and former state consumer protection commissioner, tried to open the facility.
"It was a good spot – a former factory building and a lot of space for a good price," Farrell said in a phone interview Thursday. "It was along a major artery so that your workers could come by way of mass transportation."
Farrell added that the group looked at a space in Meriden because the zoning regulations in the city allowed for a medical marijuana facility. He didn't look at Wallingford because "I knew it was not going to be treated as a permissible use."
When asked what Farrell thought about the possible regulation change in town, he questioned if it would result in a medical marijuana facility coming to Wallingford in the near future.
"My read is that it's unlikely that the state will grant any new licenses for quite some time," Farrell said. "... The thing that has occurred and I think has everybody mystified is that the number of patients that have signed up to get medical marijuana has not considerably increased. All of those businesses that got licenses are struggling, from what I hear."
Michelle Seagull, deputy consumer protection commissioner, said Farrell's thinking is right.
"In the short term, that's correct. Patient registration started a while ago, shortly before the law was passed. It took a bit of time to license producers and then they had to build out facilities and grow their product," she said. "There was a period where there were patients and no legal supply of marijuana. But three or four months ago, we're starting to see a steady supply."
Seagull refers to this as the "ramp up phase," where the production of medicinal marijuana continues to increase and is catching up to the list of registered patients.
DCP continually monitors the list of patients, Seagull said, to ensure the state isn't providing more licenses if the demand isn't there. She added that as the list continues to grow, demand will increase, which is when the state will announce open applications. In determining where future dispensaries will be opened, the department will study patient locations and if there are gaps in facilities.
"We'll put out a request for applications," she said. "We try to do it in a way so we can get a lot of interest ... We want to do this on a competitive basis also and most likely see where a geography of patients are."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: MyRecordJournal.com | Meriden, CT | Wallingford may change regulations to allow medical marijuana facility
Author: Eric Vo
Contact: letters@record-journal.com
Photo Credit: Mark Thiessen
Website: MyRecordJournal.com | Meriden, CT | Home
"When the state of Connecticut changed their laws (in 2012), we as a commission decided that rather than have someone come in with a zone change, we'd issue a moratorium so we can look at the issue," said PZC member Jim Fitzsimmons. "This is the first extension of the moratorium to give us time to review things and say what we're going to do, which is look at changes."
The PZC will hold the workshop at its March 24 meeting.
Since the law was changed, the state Department of Consumer Protection issued four producer licenses and six dispensary licenses. The six dispensaries are in Hartford, Branford, Bethel, South Windsor, Uncasville and Bristol.
More than 3,000 patients registered with the state to receive medicinal marijuana, according to the department.
A year ago, the former International Silver Co. site on South Broad Street in Meriden was passed over by the department to become a medical marijuana manufacturing facility.
Central Connecticut Health Ventures, which included Jerry Farrell Jr., a Wallingford lawyer, former town councilor and former state consumer protection commissioner, tried to open the facility.
"It was a good spot – a former factory building and a lot of space for a good price," Farrell said in a phone interview Thursday. "It was along a major artery so that your workers could come by way of mass transportation."
Farrell added that the group looked at a space in Meriden because the zoning regulations in the city allowed for a medical marijuana facility. He didn't look at Wallingford because "I knew it was not going to be treated as a permissible use."
When asked what Farrell thought about the possible regulation change in town, he questioned if it would result in a medical marijuana facility coming to Wallingford in the near future.
"My read is that it's unlikely that the state will grant any new licenses for quite some time," Farrell said. "... The thing that has occurred and I think has everybody mystified is that the number of patients that have signed up to get medical marijuana has not considerably increased. All of those businesses that got licenses are struggling, from what I hear."
Michelle Seagull, deputy consumer protection commissioner, said Farrell's thinking is right.
"In the short term, that's correct. Patient registration started a while ago, shortly before the law was passed. It took a bit of time to license producers and then they had to build out facilities and grow their product," she said. "There was a period where there were patients and no legal supply of marijuana. But three or four months ago, we're starting to see a steady supply."
Seagull refers to this as the "ramp up phase," where the production of medicinal marijuana continues to increase and is catching up to the list of registered patients.
DCP continually monitors the list of patients, Seagull said, to ensure the state isn't providing more licenses if the demand isn't there. She added that as the list continues to grow, demand will increase, which is when the state will announce open applications. In determining where future dispensaries will be opened, the department will study patient locations and if there are gaps in facilities.
"We'll put out a request for applications," she said. "We try to do it in a way so we can get a lot of interest ... We want to do this on a competitive basis also and most likely see where a geography of patients are."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: MyRecordJournal.com | Meriden, CT | Wallingford may change regulations to allow medical marijuana facility
Author: Eric Vo
Contact: letters@record-journal.com
Photo Credit: Mark Thiessen
Website: MyRecordJournal.com | Meriden, CT | Home
