Steve Schuh
Steve Schuh makes the case for keeping medical marijuana business out of the county
I understand the passion advocates for medical marijuana feel on this issue. This is an emotional topic for anyone who has a loved one with an illness treatable by this drug. No one wants to prevent the sick from being able to use the medicine they need, which why this zoning proposal does nothing to prevent those with serious medical conditions from possessing, using or transporting medical marijuana in Anne Arundel County.
Our concern is with the potential problems that allowing the growing, processing and dispensing of marijuana in our county will cause in our neighborhoods, near our businesses and around our schools.
This was a decision made after weeks of thoughtful study and input from leaders across the county. In fact, over the course of the last two months, we consulted with professionals in the fields of law, public health, public safety, business development, social services and land use. Over the course of those extensive discussions, a number of concerns became apparent.
Our Office of Law expressed concerns about the loosely written nature of the state's marijuana law. Our Economic Development Corp. expressed concerns about the implications for Anne Arundel's largely federal workforce and the limited direct economic impact on the county itself. And our police department and sheriff's office expressed serious public safety concerns arising from potential diversion and re-selling.
From this, we came to two major conclusions.
First, after a thorough review of the Maryland marijuana law, we believe there are too many loopholes that can be exploited, and the current law, as written, could open the door to widespread recreational marijuana use here in the county.
While it is understandable that the law's author, state Sen. Bobby Zirkin, may want to hurl attacks to distract from the merits of this argument, we encourage every citizen to learn more about a law that allows individuals to obtain a quarter-pound of marijuana every 30 days with no real regulatory mechanism to determine if a need is legitimate.
Second, the current Maryland marijuana law also will present significant threats to public safety in those jurisdictions that implement permissive zoning laws. Marijuana dispensaries and growing operations will provide yet another security concern for a police department that is already addressing a gang and heroin problem in our communities.
We do not want to focus any resources away from those problems unnecessarily. Every police officer we have to assign to patrol the areas around these facilities is one less officer addressing those vital priorities.
Based on these considerations, we determined these activities should not be zoned in Anne Arundel County. By enacting this zoning legislation, county policymakers and citizens will be able to monitor and assess the impact of the Maryland marijuana law on other jurisdictions and prevent our county from becoming the guinea pig on this issue.
This is an important debate that needs to take place, not just in Anne Arundel, but across the state. Every county, from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, will have to decide how to approach the challenges that this new law will create. That is why the General Assembly made this law subject to local zoning restrictions.
Taking away those zoning powers, as some have suggested, does nothing to address these legitimate public safety and public policy concerns.
We are committed to addressing this new set of challenges in a responsible way. And over the next several weeks I look forward to working with the County Council on this important issue to enact legislation that will address our concerns and protect the interests of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.
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