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Carroll Twp. drafts medical marijuana ordinance

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Carroll Township supervisors are considering amendments to the local zoning ordinance to regulate medical marijuana growing and dispensing operations.

The township will hold a public hearing next month on the amendments, which mirror those that have already been adopted across Pennsylvania, which this week announced growing operations have been approved in McKeesport, Allegheny County, and Cumberland Township, Greene County.

Rostraver Township became the first Mon Valley municipality to take on the issue in January when its zoning hearing board granted approval to a plan to permit a medical marijuana growing and processing plant along Finley Road for an investor who did not win one of the initial permits to do so from the state. Monongahela added language this week to its zoning ordinance to allow for such operations, even though there are no current applications in the city for such projects.

Pennsylvania lawmakers approved the use of medical marijuana in April 2016, with as many as 12 permits for the growing operations to be implemented by 2018.

AGRiMED of Philadelphia was approved by the state for a permit to grow and process medical marijuana in Greene County, and PurePenn LLC of Pittsburgh was given a permit to operate a facility in McKeesport.

They were among 12 such operations that were approved. The dispensary permits have yet to be announced.

The Carroll regulations are needed because the operations cannot be denied on the local level, said Dennis Butler, the township’s zoning officer.

Under the amendments, Carroll would not permit growing operations within 1,000 feet of a church, school, hospital or cemetery and limit them to areas zoned for agricultural purposes and light and heavy industry, township records show.

The hearing will be held at 5 p.m. July 5 in the township building at 130 Baird St.

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