Monroe Says No to Newtown Chiropractor's Medical Pot Facility

Rod Deraney, a Newtown chiropractor, has considered having a growing facility for medicinal marijuana in an abandoned industrial building in Monroe on Commerce Drive, taking advantage of a new Connecticut law allowing growing facilities and dispensaries for cannabis.

Deraney's business, New Leaf Pharmaceutical LLC, would not be for dispensing the drug. But his application was withdrawn because the Monroe Planning & Zoning Commission wants a moratorium on any application for these types of businesses to allow time to come up with town regulations to handle them.

"We're comfortable with how the regulations speak to a production facility, but uncomfortable with how they speak to a dispensary,"  P&Z Commission Chairman Patrick O'Hara said.

For instance, O'Hara said liquor regulations don't allow a liquor store within 1,500 feet of a church or school. If Monroe decides to allow medicinal marijuana dispensaries, he said the regulations must decide where dispensaries could be located in town.

"We're reviewing the state regulations that came out the last few months to see, if we have a dispensary, how it would fit in with the desires of Monroe?" O'Hara said. "Do we even want it in Monroe? And if we do, under what conditions?"

A public hearing on the issue will be held in the Town Council Chambers of Monroe Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24.

O'Hara said a moratorium could only be enacted with a public hearing and lifted when a regulation is enacted.

Monroe residents will have their say on Oct. 24.