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MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Medical marijuana dispensaries already are dueling for space in the first week that Jackson County has begun accepting permit applications to operate.
By midweek, Jackson County had received four applications for dispensaries that hope to operate in unincorporated parts of the county outside cities, said Jackson County Development Services Director Kelly Madding.
This spring, Jackson County commissioners adopted rules that dispensaries must be at least a half-mile apart — a more stringent standard than an Oregon law requiring dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from each other.
Madding said applications are in for a single dispensary seeking to open on Highway 62, plus three applications have been submitted for dispensaries that want to operate within less than a half-mile of each other on South Pacific Highway between Medford and Phoenix.
The Pharm to Table dispensary opened illegally in June on South Pacific Highway before the county began accepting applications Monday, the owner confirmed.
"We are currently up and running. The county didn't have a permit for us to apply for until Monday," said David Bryant, owner and marketer for the Pharm to Table dispensary at 3528 S. Pacific Highway.
"We're working with the county. We have a land-use consultant and we're eager to rectify the issues with us not having a permit," Bryant said.
Pharm to Table has submitted an application and the county will review the application as it will other applications, Madding said.
She said Pharm to Table paid $4,067 in fines for operating illegally. Fines are no longer being levied because the dispensary has submitted an application.
Madding estimated the process will take about three months before any dispensaries will be given permits to operate.
Bryant said Pharm to Table needs to stay open to help its medical marijuana patients and meet payroll for the employees it has hired.
Noah Soulé, former owner of a medical marijuana dispensary business that had hoped to open in the county, said he is helping the new owners navigate the permit process to try and open on South Pacific Highway. They have submitted two applications for one dispensary business hoping to open in one spot less than a half-mile from Pharm to Table. The location technically has two addresses because of a caretaker's building, he said.
Soulé said two applications were submitted for the would-be dispensary in hopes at least one would be judged complete as-is, and get faster approval.
Soulé cried foul early this week because he said representatives from Pharm to Table had been camping out at the Jackson County Courthouse since last Friday in order to be first in line Monday.
Applications are considered on a first-come basis, with approved applicants getting to open first — and therefore blocking later dispensaries from opening within a half-mile.
Soulé said the Pharm to Table representatives were camping illegally, in addition to operating illegally without a county permit.
Bryant said Pharm to Table representatives researched illegal camping ordinances and were sure to rotate people in and out to avoid running afoul of the rules. He said an anonymous tip led the Medford Police Department to pay the representatives a visit, but they were within the rules.
Asked why he didn't look for a different dispensary site than one near Pharm to Table, Soulé said it's not easy to find a location for a medical marijuana dispensary.
"Finding a spot with a landowner who is willing to sell to you is very difficult. Most won't rent or lease to you. You have to find a landowner who will work with you. You have to buy the building outright," he said.
Although the county didn't receive his dual applications before Pharm to Table's application, Soulé said he hopes the people he is helping may come out on top in the end.
"Ours wasn't the first in, but the process is a labyrinthian one, so we could get to the end first," Soulé said.
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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/
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