Salisbury City Council considers approval of new cannabis dispensary
SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury City Council is poised to approve a new cannabis dispensary.
Salisbury Ready for Second Dispensary?
Monday night, Council members will learn more, and have the opportunity to ask questions, about the application from Elevated Mind and Wellness LLC to open up shop. The dispensary would be located at 733 South Salisbury Boulevard, the current retail location of Kitty’s Flowers.
And with the lines consistently seen out the doors of the Apothecarium dispensary on Mt. Hermon Road, city leaders say Salisbury is ready for another option.
“Just seeing the amount of people who frequent that business shows you the need, or the want, for that industry to be in our community,” said Salisbury City Council President, D’Shawn Doughty. “Clearly, this is something that Salisbury needs and wants… I asked those questions about if our market can sustain more than one with the other one that’s in town. They’ve done the research, and say yes.”
Favorable Review from Planning and Zoning
The application received a stamp of approval from Planning and Zoning, after applicants began work with them last month.
Doughty, who sits on Planning and Zoning, says the only pushback he can foresee on welcoming another dispensary to Salisbury would be increased traffic.
The department’s favorable review, however, cited plenty of on-site parking, and a traffic impact study conducted by the applicant. “They have plans on how to combat that influx of people into that area,” Doughty said.
Seeing Green
Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Bill Chambers, says more business is good business.
The new dispensary could attract paying customers from around the region, and steady jobs for Salisburians, he says.
“Almost 22% of all of Maryland’s $640 million of sales last year came from tourists,” Chambers said. “The average dispensary’s profit margins are as high as 20%. The average sales associate makes $33 an hour. So, these are not low-paying jobs.”
A Burgeoning Business
And with Maryland’s transition into recreational marijuana sales, Cannabis Public Policy Consulting recommended that the state allow the opening of 300 dispensaries, to keep up with demand.
Chambers believes that Salisbury would be the prime place to expand that industry; that is, until surrounding states catch up with their own recreational marijuana laws.
“[Maryland] might have been a little quick in rolling out the rules and regulations, and how this relates to law enforcement, and workplace issues that are still up in the air, but I think the state has done a good job with the retail end,” Chambers said. “Right now, Maryland is in the catbird’s seat, in terms of taking advantage of this market.”
Looking Ahead
After City Council reviews the application Monday night, the body is expected to weigh a vote of approval at the following legislative session. The City’s Department of Infrastructure and Development would also have to sign off on the plans.
As for Kitty’s Flowers, shop managers tell WMDT that they have sold the building, and are excited to consolidate their retail operations into a larger warehouse space, located at 2330 Scenic Drive in Salisbury.
