Vermont Town Outraged Over Proposed Dispensary Near Elementary School

Parents in a small Vermont town have been left outraged as a new weed dispensary is proposed to be opened close to an elementary school.

Clean Country Dispensary, which is currently open in Johnson, submitted an application to move to Jeffersonville, a town of 750 people located about 30 miles northeast of Burlington. However, the cannabis shop’s new proposed location on Main Street is just down the street from Cambridge Elementary School.

Some parents, including Krista Huling, oppose the move, telling WCAX 3 that the new location violates state law, which mandates that dispensaries be at least 500 feet from a school.

“It’s right next to our elementary school playground,” Huling said. “As a parent, you’re like, this just doesn’t seem right. There must be some sort of restriction.”

Cannabis Control Board Chairman James Pepper disagreed, saying that while the business is within 500 feet of the school, it would comply with the state’s buffer zone policy, which means it cannot operate on an adjoining property.

“Our interpretation of the law is that this is compliant with the drug-free school zone. There’s a row of businesses. It’s not adjacent to the school. There’s a line of businesses in between the school and this proposed location, so the 500 feet doesn’t apply,” he said.

The Independent has contacted the Clean Country Dispensary and the Cannabis Control Board for comment.

According to WCAX 3’s report, the edge of Cambridge Elementary School’s playground to the corner of Main Street, where the shop plans to open, is about 80 steps.

The building where the dispensary hopes to open is also visible from the school, per the report.

“It’s not about the dispensary; it’s about the location,” Huling told the local news station. “That is really the heart of our town in that area, and the heart of our kids and how they access town.”

Huling, who is a former teacher, started a petition against the proposed weed shop that has gained nearly 200 signatures, the Vermont Community News Group reported last week.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board approved the dispensary’s initial request for a license transfer in January. However, its application must appear before the Cambridge Selectboard and receive state approval before it can open.

Jeffersonville’s select board took a vote on approving the dispensary this past Tuesday, but wasn’t able to come to a consensus on the application. Their decision may influence the state’s approval of the shop.

The state is expected to decide by July.