While there are no known proposals for a medical-marijuana facility in Salisbury Township, the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners is preparing for that possibility.

By consensus, township commissioners at the Dec. 22, 2016, meeting asked Salisbury Township Solicitor, Atty. John W. Ashley, to research the preparation of an ordinance that would regulate medical-marijuana facilities, medical marijuana growers and medical-marijuana transportation.

Salisbury Township might be high on the list for a medical-marijuana facility because Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, with its John & Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center, is located in the township Medical Overlay District, which includes Cedar Crest Professional Park, which has medical offices, across from LVH along Cedar Crest Boulevard.

According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, on the CNN health website, medical conditions that medical marijuana can treat include Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Lehigh County and Northampton County are to be allocated one medical-marijuana dispensary permit each, with a permit holder allowed to open up to three locations, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Permit applications for marijuana growers are to be on the commonwealth health department website as of Jan. 17, with applications accepted Feb. 20 through March 20.

Ashley told a reporter for The Press after the Dec. 22, 2016 meeting when medical-marijuana legislation was discussed that regulations would most likely be first presented for review to the Salisbury Township Planning Commission.

If and when an ordinance to regulate medical-marijuana dispensaries is recommended for approval by commissioners, a public hearing would be held by commissioners before it would be brought up for a vote.

Medical-marijuana is not expected to generate revenue for Salisbury, other than for permit fees, should an ordinance to regulate it be approved.

Salisbury is not the first municipality in the Lehigh Valley to consider regulation of medical-marijuana dispensaries and its associated enterprises.

Emmaus Borough Council voted 7-0 to approve the first reading Nov. 19, 2016 of an ordinance to regulate medical-marijuana growth and sales.

Hanover Township, Northampton County, supervisors voted Nov. 19, 2016 to approve an ordinance to allow the growing of marijuana in light industrial zones and dispensaries in commercial zones.

Williams Township, Northampton County, supervisors Nov. 9, 2016 authorized its solicitor to present an ordinance regulating medical marijuana.

Upper Macungie Township supervisors are weighing legislation to regulate medical marijuana.

Local regulation of medical marijuana is akin to medical facilities regulations.

Allentown Wellness Center, 1244 Hamilton St., Allentown, offers medical marijuana evaluations for the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program. The commonwealth Department of Health requires patients and doctors to have a history of treatment before issuing a certification for the use of medical cannabis.

The commonwealth health department expects to issue 27 dispensary permits and 12 grower-processor permits.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to legalize medical marijuana in April 2016. The law allows for marijuana pills, oils, gels, creams, ointments and vapor. A prescription is required. However, marijuana is not allowed to be smoked.

As of November, 2016, 28 states and the District of Columbia, have approved medical-marijuana legislation.