It didn’t take long for the first medical marijuana dispensary to be proposed in Salisbury Township.

A representative of Bluestone Biomedical Group, Harrisburg, made a presentation during the courtesy of the floor portion of the March 9 township commissioners’ meeting.

Bluestone Biomedical Group sought and, by commissioners’ consensus, is expected to receive a letter to be presented to the Pennsylvania Department of Health that the prospective site for the dispensary, said to be in Cedar Crest Professional Park, 1255 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., across from Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, meets zoning requirements.

“I guess we all knew this was coming to Salisbury,” Commissioner President James A. Brown said.

It was less than three months ago that the topic of regulating medical marijuana dispensaries was broached at a Salisbury commissioners’ meeting.

Township commissioners Dec. 22, 2016, asked Salisbury Township Solicitor, Atty. John W. Ashley, to research an ordinance regulating medical marijuana facilities, medical marijuana growers and medical marijuana transportation.

“We did get a model ordinance. It’s still in the draft form. It’s not in the zoning ordinance,” Salisbury Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka said. Sopka said she spoke with a leasing agent for Cedar Crest Professional Park about a lease sought for a medical marijuana dispensary.

“Part of our concern would be that if we give you a letter of approval, it’s contingent on meeting approval of zoning,” Brown said.

“I’m not approving it,” Sopka emphasized. “I’m giving them a letter that it meets the zoning only. When they get approval [from the Pennsylvania Department of Health], then it must go before zoning.”

“What will you do out of that facility?” Commissioner James Seagreaves asked. The representative said purchases would be made at the dispensary.

Salisbury is not the first municipality in the Lehigh Valley to consider or enact regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries and associated enterprises. Among them are Emmaus; Upper Macungie Township; Hanover Township, Northampton County and Williams Township, Northampton County.

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 were posted on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website Jan. 17, with applications accepted Feb. 20 through March 20.

Health department approval of applications is expected at the end of June. If approved in Salisbury, a dispensary is not expected to open until April-May 2018.

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. It does not allow the smoking of marijuana.

As of March 1, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ website, 28 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico approved medical marijuana legislation.