PORTLAND COUNCILOR OPPOSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA DELAY

A Portland City Councilor hopes to derail a proposed six-month
moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

David Marshall plans to introduce a council order at Monday's
meeting to allow state-licensed dispensaries in the downtown
business zones. He is scheduled to formally announce the proposal at
a news conference at City hall this morning.

The council's already scheduled to hold a public hearing Monday on a
six-month ban that would allow planning officials to create siting
and operating rules. The proposal is facing strong opposition
because it could delay the opening of the state's largest dispensary.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is expected to
grant the state's first-ever licenses to eight medical marijuana
dispensaries on July 9. The dispensaries would be spread out in
eight regions around the state, and the Cumberland County site
is widely expected to be somewhere in Portland because of the
population size and public transportation network.