Changes to legislation that would formalize the use of medical marijuana in the District will likely be introduced next week, according to D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who chairs the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

Mendelson declined to give many details as to what changes will be made, but said discussions are being held on the number of dispensaries that would be created, how far they would have to be located from schools and youth centers, how many caregivers each patient could assign and what ailments might qualify for doctor-recommended medical marijuana.

The bill was introduced in late January, not long after Congress removed a prohibition on the implementation of a 1998 voter initiative that legalized medical marijuana. Many marijuana advocates were left unhappy with what they saw as too many restrictions included in the bill. They proposed a series of amendments before a late February hearing on the legislation, including doing away with a rule that would forbid dispensaries from being within 1,000 feet from schools or youth centers, scrapping a requirement that patients pay fees to their dispensary, and allowing the Department of Health to hold hearings after the first year of the legislation’s implementation to determine whether more than five dispensaries are needed.

Mendelson indicated, however, that the bill would remain relatively restrictive.

“Some advocates want virtually no restrictions,” he said. “But that’s not the intent of the initiative,” he argued, pointing out that the 1998 vote was meant to address patients with only the most serious ailments.