Bristol Township’s first medical marijuana dispensary got the green light from Council Thursday evening.
The four members of the Council in attendence unanimously approved Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC’s plans to open their medical marijuana dispensary at the Durham Square Shopping Center located at 2412-2414 Durham Road near the intersection with New Falls Road.
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The facility has already received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Health during a detailed application process that awarded Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC a dispensary license in June. The new facility will be in two storefronts along Durham Road in the shopping center that already has a state store and convenience store.
As LevittownNow.com reported earlier this week, the medical marijuana dispensary will occupy a 2,300-square-foot storefront.
Representatives from Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC said the medical marijuana dispensary will be highly-secured and will only see about five customers an hour. The medical marijuana dispensary will be staffed by five employees, have around-the-clock security monitoring, a secured delivery area and 18 high-tech cameras.
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In its state application, Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC officials wrote that it plans to have 7,100 patients by the end of 2018 and 14,300 patients within four years between two locations. Bristol Township was picked as a retail location due to its ease of access to a large amount of residents.
Credit: Google Maps
Guidelines from the state note that each medical marijuana dispensary permit holder has six months to become operational and every permit holder will be able to open as many as three locations. Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC also listed plans in their application to open a second storefront in Reading and has no third location listed.
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At the Bristol Township Planning Commission meeting in September, an attorney representing Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC compared the facility to a pharmacy where prescriptions are filled.
Leafy marijuana material will not be sold at dispensaries, but processed pill, ointment, patch and oil form products that will be for sale with orders from a doctor. The law, making Pennsylvania the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana, requires that patients use the medical substance to treat any of 17 approved medical conditions.
According to federal documents reviewed by this news organization in summer, Franklin Bioscience – Penn LLC is connected to Denver-based Franklin Bioscience, a holding company. The Denver company already has a role in cannabis lifestyles company Lucky Edibles and medically-focused Altus Labs.
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On Thursday evening, no members of the public spoke on the medical marijuana dispensary.
