Parents Outraged Over Proposed Weed Dispensary Near Elementary School: ‘this Just Doesn’t Seem Right’

Parents successful a mini Vermont municipality person been near outraged arsenic a new weed dispensary is projected to beryllium opened adjacent to an simple school.

Clean Country Dispensary, which is presently unfastened successful Johnson, submitted an exertion to move to Jeffersonville, a municipality of 750 group located astir 30 miles northeast of Burlington. However, nan cannabis shop’s caller projected location connected Main Street is conscionable down nan thoroughfare from Cambridge Elementary School.

Some parents, including Krista Huling, reason nan move, telling WCAX 3 that nan caller location violates authorities law, which mandates that dispensaries beryllium astatine slightest 500 feet from a school.

“It’s correct adjacent to our simple schoolhouse playground,” Huling said. “As a parent, you’re like, this conscionable doesn’t look right. There must beryllium immoderate benignant of restriction.”

Cannabis Control Board Chairman James Pepper disagreed, saying that while nan business is wrong 500 feet of nan school, it would comply pinch nan state’s buffer area policy, which intends it cannot run connected an adjoining property.

“Our mentation of nan rule is that this is compliant pinch nan drug-free schoolhouse zone. There’s a statement of businesses. It’s not adjacent to nan school. There’s a statement of businesses successful betwixt nan schoolhouse and this projected location, truthful nan 500 feet doesn’t apply,” he said.

The Independent has contacted nan Clean Country Dispensary and nan Cannabis Control Board for comment.

According to WCAX 3’s report, nan separator of Cambridge Elementary School’s playground to nan area of Main Street, wherever nan shop plans to open, is astir 80 steps.

The building wherever nan dispensary hopes to unfastened is besides visible from nan school, per nan report.

“It’s not astir nan dispensary; it’s astir nan location,” Huling told nan section news station. “That is really nan bosom of our municipality successful that area, and nan bosom of our kids and really they entree town.”

Huling, who is simply a erstwhile teacher, started a petition against nan projected weed shop that has gained astir 200 signatures, nan Vermont Community News Group reported past week.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board approved nan dispensary’s first petition for a licence transportation successful January. However, its exertion must look earlier nan Cambridge Selectboard and person authorities support earlier it tin open.

Jeffersonville’s prime committee took a ballot connected approving nan dispensary this past Tuesday, but wasn’t capable to travel to a statement connected nan application. Their determination whitethorn power nan state’s support of nan shop.

The authorities is expected to determine by July.