Clark County starts three days of medical pot hearings Wednesday

Clark County commissioners will embark Wednesday on a three-day marathon of public hearings to winnow 81 applicants for medical marijuana dispensaries to just 18 dispensaries.

The county’s three-day process means that, at the earliest, commissioners will decide Friday afternoon on the 18 dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county that will be sent to the state for approval. A decision on the 18 could come after Friday as well.

Each of the 81 applicants has a public hearing, giving neighbors a chance to testify for or against. But commissioners intend for the process to keep a tight schedule.

Among the rules: applicants each have six minutes to make their case. Each member of the public testifying on an individual dispensary application has two minutes.

During each applicant’s hearings, the commission will have three minutes — total, not apiece — to ask questions. For Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, for example, the training of employees is important.

“I don’t like the term ‘bud tenders,’” she said, stressing that it’s professional job.

Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak encouraged his colleagues to keep their questions brief and to the point.

County staff will have the dispensary locations on a map, with stick pins representing the different applications.

Among the things that commissioners said they will be looking at: How unique are the applicants? Did they bring in advisory expertise to help?

Are they local? How professional are they?

The first meeting starts at noon Wednesday at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

Officials are expecting a big crowd, and will keep the county cafeteria television tuned to the meeting to allow viewing.

The dispensary applicants will be grouped together by township. The first day will cover applicants in Enterprise, Laughlin, Whitney, Sunrise Manor and Winchester townships.

The all-day meetings on Thursday and Friday will both start at 8 a.m. The Thursday meeting covers applicants in Paradise township; the Friday meeting covers applicants in Spring Valley.

Getting picked by the county doesn’t make the dispensary a done deal. The state’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health could reject an applicant, leaving the public with fewer qualified dispensaries.

The public also can watch the meetings live on television and online. The meetings will be broadcast on Clark County Television (CCTV), which is on Channel 4 in the Las Vegas area via Cox cable and CenturyLink and Channel 89.13 on televisions without converter boxes. Laughlin viewers can wach on Channel 14 via CMA Access.

The county’s website that shows the meetings is wwww.ClarkCountyNV.gov.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.