According to the Georgetown Current [PDF], a one-time resident hopes to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Georgetown.
The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has not yet filed an application with the D.C. government.
“I spent 6 years in Georgetown (1994-2000) living near the intersection of 31st and Q St. NW, where I ran an operation similar to what the new law proposes without a single problem from anyone except the police, with absolutely no regulation,” he wrote in an email to the Current.
After scoping out a few locations, the man claims he found “a willing landlord” who is interested in leasing space for the dispensary on Wisconsin Avenue near the Georgetown Public Library. However, the Current added, he is “open to direction from the community.”
Last May, the D.C. Council unanimously approved a bill to allow certain people to obtain marijuana from the yet-to-be-opened dispensaries. Those with chronic illnesses, such as cancer, gloucoma, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis, will be eligible to purchase up to two ounces of marijuana per month with a doctor’s prescription.
The proposed measures [PDF] are among the strictest in the country; only five dispensaries will be granted licenses to distribute marijuana and owners will be required to pay a slew of application and registration fees before opening their doors.
But, don’t expect to see dispensaries in D.C. anytime soon; after filing applications, owners will have to face any community opposition, which means earning the approval of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. ANC Commissioner Bill Starrels, when discussing the man’s anonymity, told the Current that selling medical marijuana in “historic Georgetown” could be a “controversial” subject.
But on the other hand, not every resident seems to be opposed to the idea.
Photo: Flickr user “neeta_lind“
