First Licensed State Medical Marijuana Dispensaries May Get More Time To Open

August 01, 2013

Some of the first medical marijuana dispensaries the state licensed will get more time to open their doors.  The Department of Health Services had given dispensaries a year to open saying their authorizations would expire unless they met the deadline, but attorney Paul Conant filed suit to stop that saying some of his clients could not comply, in part because some communities failed to provide the needed zoning.

"Or maybe a landlord won't rent to you because they're worried about the law or maybe a building owner won't sell to you because they're also worried about the law, so there were a lot of different problems that were testified to by witnesses in the hearing," Conant said.

On Wednesday a Superior Court judge barred the state from taking dispensary authorizations away, at least until it creates rules to decide which of them were entitled to hardship extensions.  DHS says it likely will take months to develop those rules.