COMPASSION CENTERS PROPOSED AT 3 CITY SITES

With the selection announcement drawing near, municipalities,
businesses and neighborhoods are bracing themselves in the event that
a compassion center may be coming to the area.

Three of the 15 compassion center applicants have proposed sites in
Warwick, one of which may be chosen as the first center to sell
marijuana to patients in the state's growing medical-marijuana program.

"Obviously, the city has concerns about such a business and we have
made suggestions that a proposed center should really be part of a
larger medical facility and have the requisite amount of medical
supervision as well," said Mayor Scott Avedisian.

From March 18 through May 17 the Department of Health opened
applications for the centers and a public hearing was held on June 29
during which people were given the opportunity to speak for or against
the proposed centers.

The hearing was an opportunity for people to weigh in on the 15
applicants. It was not a forum to air views on the issue of medical
marijuana, but allowed people to discuss the pluses or minuses of
specific proposals.

Medical marijuana is legal under state law, and lawmakers last year
approved a plan to allow up to three stores to sell it to registered
patients. Applications have been made for locations all over the state.

"In all instances, we have set up meetings with the proposed operators
of the centers, discussed with them safety and law enforcement
concerns, and made suggestions as to what would make the applications
more palatable to the city." said Avedisian.

The three Warwick proposals have been submitted by: Alternative
Therapeutics Inc., Christopher D. Sands, executive director;
Breakwater Herbal Compassion Center, Henry A. Zaleski, managing
member; Summit Medical Compassion Center Inc., Frank P. Maggiacomo,
president.

The Alternative Therapeutics proposed location is 50 Colorado Avenue
and they would cultivate the product onsite. For the Breakwater
Center, the company has proposed a "health wellness center," somewhere
in Cranston or Warwick, with the cultivation site located somewhere in
North Kingstown. The Summit Center's proposed location is the Kent
Center, Suites 1001 and 1002; 2756 Post Road and the cultivation would
take place off site, somewhere else in the city.

"The legislature decided they were going to authorize the centers and
charged the Department of Health with the approval process, but didn't
give local communities time to develop zoning regulations," said
Warwick City Planner, Mark Carruolo.

The health department is looking at July 29 as the announcement date
for the selection of up to three centers, or the denial of all 15
applications, which is 30 days from the public hearing.

The department is reviewing a list of considerations including the
need of the public in terms of population near the centers, according
to Carol Hall-Walker, a health department spokesperson.

"It is a fair and equitable process, so it is being kept close to the
vest," said Hall-Walker.

The Police Department, the Zoning office, Building Department,
Department of City Plan, and other offices have been involved in
looking at plans and making comments, according to the Mayor.

"Communities are having to react by the seat of their pants. These are
not hospitals, clinics or medical offices because they are not FDA
(Federal Drug Administration) regulated. We had no objective analysis
that we could do," said Carruolo.

After the selection has been made, it would be up to the operator to
determine when the center could be up and running. State figures show
that there are 1,728 patients licensed to use marijuana in Rhode
Island, and about 50 patients have been joining the program each week.

According to the Health Department Web site, there is no limit to the
number of patients who can be served by a single center. Also, in a
series of answers provided by the department to questions raised by
prospective applicants, the department indicated it would look more
favorably on a center serving more, rather than fewer patients.

Compassion centers are to be operated on a not-for-profit basis for
the mutual benefits of its patients. Centers can hold no more than 12
plants per patient and 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana for each
qualifying patient. Centers can also serve as a growing facility.

"However," reads the legislation, "any growing operations must be
consistent with all local zoning requirements or restrictions. As
growing marijuana and possession of the narcotic is illegal, there are
no city regulations concerning its cultivation.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., Rhode
Island is the sixth state to sanction medical-marijuana dispensaries.
California, Colorado and New Mexico are the only states with operating
dispensaries but it looks like it's just a matter of time before Rhode
Island, Maine, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., join them.