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By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune April 29. 2015 5:04PM Jackson County adopts stringent pot dispensary standards The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has adopted regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries that are more strict than state standards. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners has adopted regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries that are more strict than state standards. While the state requires dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet apart, commissioners voted Wednesday to require dispensaries to be at least a half mile apart — or 2,640 feet. "Taking these precautions and moving forward very slowly is prudent," said Commissioner Doug Breidenthal, noting the county can always loosen standards later if fears about negative marijuana impacts prove unfounded. "A lot of people are really nervous and scared about the impacts," he said. Commissioner Colleen Roberts balked at requiring dispensaries to be a half-mile from each other, but voted with the other two commissioners on adopting various regulations as a package. "I personally think a half-mile is quite far apart," she said. "It's very restrictive." The state requires a 1,000-foot buffer from schools and the county is sticking with that standard. Added county regulations include that dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet from I-5 interchanges, the Jackson County Correctional Facility outside Talent and parks — except for the miles-long Bear Creek Greenway biking and pedestrian path. Commissioners also adopted a one-mile buffer zone around the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics in White City, which treats veterans struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. Dispensaries also must stay 250 feet away from residential parts of White City, which is unincorporated. Volunteers and case managers who work with veterans said keeping dispensaries a mile from SORCC would help addicts avoid relapsing. "In my opinion, we struck a good balance," Commissioner Rick Dyer said of the package of regulations. The regulations apply to unincorporated parts of Jackson County. Cities have adopted a broad range of their own regulations on top of state law. Dispensaries can locate only on land zoned for general commercial use in the county and potential dispensary owners must go through a permitting process to open. A local man who is hoping to open a dispensary in an unincorporated part of the county said the added restrictions would seriously impact people who have already made investments in potential dispensaries. He is in competition with another potential dispensary owner to get his business approved first. The first dispensary that opens in a location triggers the county's half-mile buffer zone between dispensaries, blocking other dispensaries from locating nearby. The state's 1,000-foot buffer between dispensaries works the same way. "We are still in a race because the goalposts keep moving," the man said. He declined to give his name, saying his competitor has not been attending county hearings and may not be aware of the new county regulations — which would give him a potential competitive advantage. Commissioners are scheduled to have a first reading of the new regulations on May 13, followed by a second reading on May 27. The regulations then go into effect 60 days later. Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous .   http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150429/news/150429489 © 2016 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->