While a medical marijuana facility is not in the immediate offing for Salisbury Township, the board of commissioners has taken under advisement a proposed amendment to regulate it.

Salisbury Township commissioners are expected to discuss and vote on the medical marijuana dispensary amendment at either the 7 p.m. Sept. 14 or the 7 p.m. Sept. 28 township meeting in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

A public hearing on the amendment is expected to be held, most likely prior to a commissioners’ meeting and before commissioners vote.

Salisbury had been considered as a possible location for a medical marijuana facility because Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest is located in the township medical overlay district, which includes Cedar Crest Professional Park, which has medical offices, across from LVH along Cedar Crest Boulevard.

A representative of Bluestone Biomedical Group, Harrisburg, made a presentation before commissioners at the March 9 township meeting about the possibility of locating a medical marijuana dispensary in Cedar Crest Professional Park, 1255 S. Cedar Crest Blvd.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health awarded two permits June 29 for dispensaries in the Lehigh Valley.

In Lehigh County, a permit was issued to Mission Pennsylvania II, LLC, for a dispensary at Emmaus Avenue Plaza, 2733 W. Emmaus Ave., Allentown. The site is in the vicinity of Interstate 78 and South 31st Street, not far from a portion of Salisbury Township.

In Northampton County, a permit was issued to GuadCo, LLC, Brooklyn, N.Y., for a location at 1309 Stefko Blvd., Bethlehem.

Dispensaries are expected to be in operation in spring or summer 2018.

Medical marijuana is defined as a pill, oil, gel, cream, ointment, vaporization (excluding dry leaf or plant form), tincture and liquid.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health website, studies have shown medical marijuana can help patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, autism, cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and sickle cell anemia.

Following a June 13 public meeting to review the draft zoning ordinance amending Chapter 27 of the Salisbury Township Zoning Ordinance providing for the regulation of medical marijuana facilities, the Salisbury Township Planning Commission voted unanimously 7-0 to submit the amendment concerning medical marijuana facilities to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for review. It was not immediately known if the LVPC has approved the amendment with or without changes.

By consensus, township commissioners at the Dec. 22, 2016, meeting asked Salisbury Township Solicitor Atty. John W. Ashley, to research an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana.

Salisbury Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka, Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer and Ashley crafted the township amendment based on an ordinance proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which licenses and regulates marijuana facilities.

The proposed amendment to Chapter 27 of the township zoning ordinance being considered by commissioners would allow: academic clinical research centers, medical marijuana grower-processors, medical marijuana transport vehicle offices and medical marijuana dispensaries in commercial (C) and industrial (I) districts in the township.

Based on an analysis by The Press of a Salisbury Township zoning map, the following commercial and light industrial districts in the township could be sites for a medical marijuana facility (street location boundaries and directions are approximate):

C1 Office Laboratory: Cedar Crest Professional Park, across from Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, south of I-78 and north of Fish Hatchery Road.

C1 Office Laboratory: Cedar Crest Boulevard, east and west sides, from Lindberg Avenue to Kathleen Avenue.

C1 - Office Laboratory: The Pidcock Company office park, Fish Hatchery Road, west of Oxford Drive and north of Interstate 78.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: Lehigh Street, north side, from Bevin Drive west to Country Club Road.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: South Pike Avenue, east side, approximately across from Salisbury Township municipal complex, and along Buttonwood Street.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: East Emaus Avenue, south and north sides, vicinity of South Albert Street, Chapel Avenue, South Bradford, Woodside Court.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: East Emaus Avenue, south side, from Park Avenue east to Hillcrest Avenue.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: East Susquehanna Street, north side, from Fairview Avenue east to Park Avenue.

C2 - Neighborhood Commercial: East Susquehanna Street, south side, from Fairfax east to Vermont Avenue.

C3 - General Commercial: Lehigh Street, south side, south of 31st Street to Bevin Drive; Lehigh Street, north side; at south side of South Mall and at Bevin Drive, north side of South Mall.

I - Light Industrial: Walking Purchase Park, vicinity of Lehigh County Men’s Community Correction Center, 1600 Riverside Drive.

A permit holder must have a pharmacist or doctor at its primary location with additional locations staffed by a registered nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.

The Pa. Department of Health requires patients and doctors to have a history of treatment before issuing a certification for the use of medical cannabis. Allentown Wellness Center, 1798 Hausman Road, South Whitehall Township, is one area medical facility that offers medical marijuana evaluations for the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program.

Salisbury isn’t the only municipality in the Lehigh Valley to consider marijuana dispensaries and its associated enterprises. Also at various stages of consideration or approval is medical marijuana legislation in Emmaus, Upper Macungie Township, in Lehigh County and Hanover, East Allen and William townships, all Northampton County.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health granted 27 dispensary permits June 29 for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are in Region 2, the northeast region, which also includes Carbon, Monroe, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.

There will be 52 dispensaries in the commonwealth. Each of the 27 dispensary permit holders is eligible to open three locations. Some dispensary permit holders have opted not to open all eligible locations. A list of locations is available on the Department of Health website: health.pa.gov.

The Department of Health could grant additional permits.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to legalize medical marijuana in April 2016.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ website, 28 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico approved medical-marijuana legislation.