A meeting of the city's Planning Advising Committee (PAC) on Monday saw the committee approve a motion for establishing criteria for medical marijuana facilities.

Senior planner Mary Joyce-Smith presented the report to council and members of the public.

"What it's doing is setting up a critieria. You're always going to put it through site-plan [and] be aware of the regulations," Joyce-Smith said.

Joyce-Smith noted that there would be a 150-metre setback in residential areas for medical marijuana facilities and that all facilities would be located indoors.

Hilary Bricken

A red herring is “something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue.” The marijuana industry has more than its fair share of red herrings and the below 10 deserve a call out because of their prevalence and importance:

1. Federal enforcement memoranda mean the Feds are taking it easy on the marijuana industry. 

Israel is busy sorting out regulation for offshore natural gas reserves that are expected to be a boon for the local economy, while some argue that medical cannabis offers the Jewish state an even bigger financial opportunity.

Earlier this month, the Israel Loss Adjusters Association (ILAA) held a conference to discuss how Israel’s farmers could benefit from the growing global market for medical cannabis.

“The US cannabis market stands at $35 billion a year,” noted ILAA Chairman Doron Havkin. “Are we able to give up revenues from this market?”

Jane co-founder Jeff Foster speaks with the media at the Cannabis Expo & Business Conference in June at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

When it arrives in New York, the medical marijuana industry will be an all-cash business. 

New York’s five companies licensed to grow and sell medical marijuana under the Compassionate Care Act must grapple with the security, safety, and legal challenges of dealing in cash because they can't keep it in banks like other businesses.

SEATTLE — Stephen Damgaard uses medical marijuana for nerve damage in his spine, eating a small brownie made with cannabutter each morning. The weed in the butter comes from one of Seattle's many medical dispensaries -- an untaxed and illegal medical pot shop that up until now has been tolerated by authorities. 

Colorado has brought in more than $60 million dollars in tax revenue off of marijuana during 2015. Marijuana may be considered “blood money” to Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, but people here on planet earth see that as a partial solution to a problem faced by many states; a strained budget.

Marijuana has helped improve Colorado’s infrastructure and future. During the first six months, the state received $16.6 million for school construction projects. Too bad Governor Christie is only worried about improving his budget instead of New Jersey’s.

Numbers do not account for ancillary businesses

SEATTLE — It’s an alarming trend — more people involved in deadly crashes are testing positive for marijuana.

“We have seen marijuana involvement in fatal crashes remain steady over the years, and then it just spiked in 2014,” said Dr. Staci Hoff, director of the Washington Transportation Safety Commission’s Data and Research department.

“It’s unfortunate that marijuana is playing a bigger role in deadly crashes in Washington,” said Wilma Comenat of MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

That’s why the organization, well known for their fight against drinking and driving, is now turning its attention to what they call drugging and driving.

“Your reflexes are slower … your reflexes are not 100%,” Comenat said.

Sierra Wellness Connection president Morgan Carr tends to his business’ plants on July 30. The Sierra Wellness Connection grows its own medical marijuana.(Photo: Tyler Hersko/RGJ)

Located amid medical offices east of downtown Reno, Sierra Wellness Connection could be mistaken for a suburban pharmacy. But it deals in Purple Kush and Sour Diesel instead of ibuprofen and Sudafed.

That’s the point, said Steve Rausch, vice president of the first medical marijuana dispensary set to open in Reno, at 1605 E. Second St., near Renown Regional Medical Center, on Wednesday.