STATE DELAYS REVEALING POT LICENSE APPLICANTS

The public can't see the dispensary applications until all
confidential data has been edited out.

State officials spent this week poring over 29 applications to operate
medical marijuana dispensaries, in hopes of awarding Maine's first
eight licenses a week from today.

But the applications won't be opened for public inspection until the
middle of next week, officials said Thursday.

The applications contain confidential information that must be edited
out, such as Social Security numbers of applicants and the names of
some patients who hope to buy marijuana to treat the symptoms of
cancer, multiple sclerosis and other illnesses, said John Martins,
spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Every page has to be read and every page has to be redacted," Martins
said.

A handful of media companies and others have requested access to the
documents, he said. The department initially planned to open them for
inspection earlier this week, but it couldn't edit out the
confidential information in time.

The DHHS is now closed until Tuesday because of a state furlough day
today and the Independence Day holiday on Monday, Martins noted.

Paula Gibbs, president of the Maine Press Association, said that delay
and the planned licensing announcement on July 9 leave little time for
transparency in the licensing process.

"It doesn't necessarily serve the public's right to be involved," she
said, suggesting that the licensing decision be delayed, too.

Maine law says government agencies must make public documents
available "within a reasonable period of time."

Charles Wynott of Westbrook, a medical marijuana patient and
caregiver, said there is a lot of interest in the applications, which
include details about business plans.

"I would like to see all of the applications, just to give us an idea
of who's out there and who's proposing what," he said.

But he wouldn't want that to delay the licensing decision, he said.
"It's going to take some time to get up and running, so the sooner the
state makes their decision, the better."

A couple of applicants have already contacted Portland officials about
potential dispensary sites if they win the license to operate
Cumberland County's dispensary. Six groups have applied for the
license for Cumberland County and six have applied for York County's
license.

Nicole Clegg, Portland's spokeswoman, said the applicants identified
buildings at the corner of St. John and Congress streets, the corner
of Franklin and Somerset streets and 135 Walton Ave.

No formal applications will be filed with the city until after the
licenses are granted and the City Council finalizes a zoning change to
allow dispensaries in the downtown area. The council is expected to
vote on the zoning later this month.