Medical marijuana dispensary ordinance drafted

PARIS — A medical marijuana dispensary in Paris is a far-fetched possibility under current state law, but on March 14, local leaders took another small step towards preparing for the day when one might come to town.

The Board of Selectmen reviewed a draft ordinance governing applications for a dispensary. The ordinance is expected to be presented to the voting public in the summer.

A dispensary in Paris would likely rank among the most highly-regulated businesses in town. Requirements include sophisticated burglar and fire alarms, 24-hour video surveillance, and a $5,000, non-refundable application fee, along with a recurring $5,000 annual fee, half of which would go to the Paris Police Department.

The remainder would be split between substance abuse programs and "any activity that benefits the citizens of Paris," at the discretion of the board.

Board Chair Ray Glover questioned the process by which the $5,000 fee had been arrived at.

"Is this something that's standard with other communities, comparable, or is this something just pulled out of a hat, or is this something that was established trying to make it so large that it would be prohibitive for anybody to bother with, comparable to other communities in the area?" Glover asked.

"If Norway had, say, a $50 application fee and ours was $5,000, do you think they'd come to us? I doubt it," he said.

Selectman Ted Kurtz said that the amount of money would not be a deterrent to business interests in the marijuana industry.

"The state law requires these people put up $500,000 or something, and nationwide, what's happening is there are tons and tons of millions of dollars coming out of California to fund this thing all over the country," said Kurtz. "This whole medical marijuana thing is awash with money, and $5,000 is going to be nothing more than a drop in the bucket for anybody that's in here."

Any individual who has been convicted of a substance abuse law may not be employed at the dispensary. If a principal officer or board member is convicted of violating a substance abuse law, the dispensary "shall immediately be considered in violation" of the ordinance.  Violations result in fines and the possibility of the loss of a license to operate.

The board raised several questions about minor details in the document, and resolved to hold a work session in order to rework the draft.

The ordinance draft has to be approved by the Board of Selectmen at its next meeting on March 28, in order to meet the timeline of requirements preparatory to a town meeting in June.