LIMITS SET FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA CULTIVATION IN D.C.

The D.C. Council has approved emergency legislation that would limit
the number of medical marijuana cultivation centers to six to be
located in any of the city's eight wards, The Washington Post reported Jan. 17.

The council had been under pressure from residents in Ward 5, in the
city's northeast quadrant, amid concerns that the ward would be
overwhelmed by large, indoor pot-growing operations.

Under the city's medical marijuana law, 10 cultivation centers would
be open citywide, The Post reported. Because the council voted
unanimously in 2010 to establish the centers to allow chronically ill
patients to obtain the drug without legal penalty, residents have
become increasingly concerned about issues of traffic and crime in
the neighborhoods where the medical marijuana would be dispensed.

According to a council memo, there have been 28 applications "to
create and manage" medical marijuana cultivation centers, The Post
reported. Of those, 26 were for locations in Ward 5. Seven
cultivation centers have received favorable reviews from the
Department of Health. Six of the seven are in Ward 5.

Under the city law, medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation
centers would be required to be at least 300 feet from schools or
recreation centers. Further, cultivation centers are restricted to
areas zoned for light industrial activities. Ward 5 has a history of
light manufacturing enterprises.