Photo used under a Creative Commons license with JosephAdams.

Late last week the D.C. Department of Health gave notice that seven proposed medical marijuana cultivation sites had received initial city approval and would be sent to local ANCs, which now have 30 days to offer their input on them.

The seven were pared down from 28 applications for licenses submitted last year; all told, 10 cultivation centers will be allowed under the rules governing the city’s long-awaited medical marijuana program.

Of the seven that moved forward, six are located in ANC 5B, with the remaining one just across the border in ANC 7D. Over the next 30 days, the ANCs are asked to provide input on the proposed locations. The comments will go towards 50 points that that can be awarded each applicant, out of 270 points available. Those with the highest scores will eventually be sent to the director of the Department of Health, who can choose to grant final licenses, a process that is expected to be wrapped up in March.

Ward 5 leaders and residents have expressed concern with the clustering of cultivation centers in their ward, but city officials have stressed that most of the usable and properly zoned land for the sites only really exists there. Late last year, Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) had promised to introduce legislation limiting the number of cultivation center sites that could locate in the ward, but, well, you know.

Amongst those applications that are moving forward? Montel Williams’ two cultivation centers, which would be located in an abandoned building on Queens Chapel Road NE. Those that haven’t yet? Montgomery Blair Sibley’s, who had hoped to run a cultivation center in a building on New York Avenue NE (before running for president, of course).

The Department of Health also gave hopeful entrepreneurs with incomplete applications a chance to make changes and re-submit; a second set of applications are set to be sent for consideration at the end of January. Applications for dispensaries are expected to be judged and go out to ANCs in March.

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