[420 Girl]

Maine — A group that had its sights set on building a medical marijuana dispensary in town abandoned the idea, saying the issue became "too political."

GreenRelief MD eyed a site on Goodwin Road near Route 236 to grow and dispense marijuana to patients with chronic diseases. It also considered a site in Sanford.

In July, the state denied its application. The group planned to reapply for the Eliot and Sanford locations, but the executive director said it had a change of heart.

"It's too political in those two towns," said Ron Fousek. "We're deciding how to move forward."

When the group announced its original plans, Sanford voters banned dispensaries from town. Eliot voters considered a similar measure but ultimately voted to keep dispensaries away from schools and residential areas instead of banning them altogether.

State Rep. Sally Lewin, R-Eliot, frequently voiced opposition to having a dispensary in town, and Police Chief Ted Short said he was worried about the potential for crime.

Fousek said GreenRelief is talking to another group about possibly joining forces and applying to another town in York County.

Maine voters approved medical marijuana dispensaries last year. The law allows for eight dispensaries in zones scattered across the state.

In July, the state Department of Health and Human Services approved six dispensaries. It denied all applicants — including Green Relief — to a zone in York County. It also denied applicants to a zone comprising Washington and Hancock counties.

The state is accepting another round of applications for those two zones. The deadline is Aug. 20. Possible winners will be announced Aug. 31.

DHHS has not received any applications so far, according to spokesman John Martins.

Five groups were originally evaluated by the department for the York County zone. One, Primary Organic Therapy, applied for a location in Kittery. Attempts to reach a representative from the group were unsuccessful.

GreenRelief and Primary Organic Therapy failed to reach the minimum score of 70 in DHHS's evaluation, which was based on security, business experience, and convenience of location, among other factors. Green Relief scored a 52 and Primary Organic Therapy scored a 64.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Fosters
Author: JASON CLAFFEY
Contact: Fosters
Copyright: 2010 Geo. J. Foster Company
Website: Group drops plans to build marijuana dispensary in Eliot


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