A medical marijuana dispensary, to be located at Bethlehem Village Shoppes on Route 191, was pitched to Bethlehem Township Commissioners June 17 during what is known as a “conditional use” hearing. Attorney Stanley Margle, representing Hayden Gateway, elicited testimony from Abbe Kruger, a principal in that firm. Testimony will resume once engineers put the finishing touches on a site plan.

Kruger’s firm is one of 300 that sought a permit from the state Department of Health for a medical marijuana dispensary. Her license was approved last year in Edwardsville, located in Luzerne County. Under the terms of her certificate, she can operate two additional dispensaries. In addition to the site in Bethlehem Township, she plans to open a third dispensary in Dickson City, located near Scranton.

She testified there have been no issues at the Edwardsville venue after nearly 18 months of business. .

Should commissioners approve this application, it will be the fourth medical marijuana dispensary in the Lehigh Valley. Two are located in Allentown, with a third on Stefko Boulevard in Bethlehem.

Federal law still proscribes the possession and distribution of marijuana, but the Department of Justice will defer to the states on enforcement unless minors are involved or a dispensary is a pretext for dealing in other drugs. Thirty-two states permit the sale of some form of marijuana.

In Pennsylvania, medical marijuana is available to patients who have one of 21 serious medical conditions, from glaucoma to a terminal illness. A qualifying person must visit an approved medical practitioner, of which there are 18 in Northampton County and 40 in Lehigh County. If a physician is convinced that a patient qualifies, he issues a “certification,” as opposed to a prescription, which is used to obtain a medical marijuana ID card. That must be presented at the dispensary.

According to the State Department of Health, chronic pain is cited as the reason for about half of the applicants. Those suffering from PTSD account for another 14 percent.

The marijuana itself comes in various forms, but not as a plant to be smoked. It could be a pill, tincture, cream, liquid, vape cartridge or oil. Prices can be as low as $10 or as high as $150. Kruger said most patients opt for a vape cartridge. State law prohibits dispensing any more than a 30-day supply. It is provided in a sealed container and bagged, along with a warning to use the product at home. The product itself is secured. Employees are provided with silent and audible alarms as well.

Kruger said that the dispensary, which incidentally is located next to a magisterial district judge’s chambers, will include an approved pharmacist who has received training. In addition, there will be a minimum of three patient care advocates and a security person. There will also be security cameras trained on the inside and exterior of the dispensary. Tapes must be kept for two years, and must be made available on request to law enforcement personnel.

Based on her experience in Edwardsville, Kruger estimates that around 800 patients will visit the dispensary every week. It will closed Sundays with a 10 a.m.-6 p.m. schedule on weekdays, with the exception of one night a week, when it will close at 7 p.m. It will close on Saturdays at 5 p.m..

Deliveries will be as often as five or six days a week, from an unmarked van that must call when it is an hour away and five minutes away. The van parks in an enclosed garage.

Commissioner John Gallagher asked what would prevent a patient from opening and using a package in the parking lot. Kruger responded that warnings are given to use the product at home, and likened someone who uses the product in his car to driving with an open container. Attorney Margle added that it’s impossible to prevent someone intent on breaking the law from doing so. Board President Michael Hudak suggested that a person who purchases at a dispensary is no different than someone who visits a state store to purchase alcohol for consumption at home.

One person opposed the conditional use. Shirley Frey, who resides across the street from the dispensary on Christian Springs Road, asked Kruger if she lived next to the dispensary in Edwardsville. “I’m expected to live next to this,” complained Frey, who went on to say that she’s “never heard a good report” about marijuana dispensaries. “Drugs are a major problem,” she said, adding she has been victimized by five attempted break-ins at her home.

Township Solicitor Jim Broughal said the hearing will continue at a date to be determined. In 2017, commissioners approved a medical marijuana dispensary in an industrial park, but plans fell through.

In related business, commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits left turns onto Route 191 from Christian Springs Road. That’s a narrow road where trucks are banned. Residents like Frey have complained trucks not only use this road, but make the dangerous left turn onto Route 191. “The trucks will be in our living room,” she said. Board President Michael Hudak responded he would request a stronger police presence there.

Commissioners also heard a presentation by Lynne Rothman, who chairs Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council, on the potential benefits of a similar board in the township. Under state law, municipalities may establish such boards to advise elected officials on environmental conservation.