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Westport Sets Rules To Allow Up To Two Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

WESTPORT, Conn. — Despite protests from some residents, the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to allow up to two medical marijuana dispensaries to open in town, according to the Westport News. 

Westport has approved rules for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Westport has approved rules for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Photo Credit: watchdog.org

The dispensaries will be allowed in nonresidential districts and at least 1,000 feet from schools, places of worship, public parks, public buildings and public recreation areas. 

A group called Concerned Parents of Westport had launched an online petition to block the proposal, but they got only 34 supporters to sign up.

The business of medicinal marijuana and the need for the treatment is growing, but access to the medicine is still hard to come by for many Fairfield County residents.

To date, there are 3,678 medical marijuana patients in Fairfield County, but the only nearby dispensaries are located in Bethel and just over the New Haven County border in Milford, according to CT News Junkie .

In Connecticut, patients who can be treated with medical marijuana are limited to those with such illnesses as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, PTSD and Sickle Cell Disease. For children, it can be used for treatment of cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis, among others.

Planning and Zoning Commission member Chip Stephens pushed for approval, saying Westport residents with serious medical issues need it — people who are "racked with cancer,” the Westport News said.

The vote sets rules for how medical marijuana dispensaries can operate in Westport.

In 2013, Fairfield denied applications for dispensaries.

Click here to read the story at the Westport News.

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