Frederick County Council struggles to bring medical marijuana to the area

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By Katie Misuraca Frederick County Council has a tough battle ahead with the legalization of medical marijuana without the support of some members in the Frederick area. Frederick County Council Vice President M.C. Keegan-Ayer has been trying to propose a bill that would have permitted medical marijuana to be grown in facilities in county agricultural zones. “It is a good industry for Frederick County,” Keegan-Ayer said. “It gives our farmers an option for an economically viable crop to be growing in a small segment of their property.” Keegan-Ayer stated she thinks that the medical marijuana industry would be huge economic boost for farmers during drought seasons or during slower growing season throughout the year. “It would allow them [farmers] to continue to do the more traditional forms of farming with the rest of their property even in times where it may not be as economically profitable,” Keegan-Ayer said. For example, if the farmer was a dairy farmer, or having a down year where the prices are...
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Frederick Delegation withdraws bill for new Frederick CREST center

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By: Katie Misuraca Frederick County senators withdrew the Frederick’s CREST funding bill after the bill was about to receive unfavorable votes from Senate committees. The bill would of allowed spending for Frederick’s Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) through 2020. Originally, the funding bill had been introduced after the planned regional higher education center initially received no funding in Gov. Hogan’s yearly budget for the state. However in early March, when Hogan delivered his State of the State address, he included some of the funding for the Fredrick CREST in a supplemental budget. The House and Senate committees retained the funding. The bill was also known as a bond bill. “A bond bill which means rather than being legislative – writing policy – it is local districts requesting funding for very important projects,” Dominique Marsalek, chief of staff to Senator Ronald Young, said. Each representative is limited to around three requests each because funding is limited. With a Republican governor, Larry Hogan, funding...
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