Unlike the public hearing for the first four cannabis investors a few months ago, not a lot of people expressed concern, except for an administrative assistant of a business establishment next to one of the proposed indoor cannabis farms.
The administrative assistant was anxious about odor emission from the indoor cannabis farm, and the possible frequent presence of cannabis buyers in the neighborhood.
The Zoning Board nonetheless unanimously approved the applications for cannabis farm conditional use of Victor D. Cabrera’s Slider Marianas and John Doyle’s Saipan Select LLC.
The board likewise approved the conditional-use application for a retail and lounge business submitted by Green Light Inc., doing business as The Chronic.
Those present for the public hearing were Zoning Board chairwoman Tatiana Babauta, vice chairman Frank Aguon, secretary Kevin C. Guerrero, treasurer Perry Inos Jr., and board member Joe Ayuyu Jr.
Cannabis business proponents listen to a presentation during Wednesday’s public hearing conducted by the Commonwealth Zoning Board at the multi-purpose center. Also in photo are members of the Zoning Board. Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
They listened to the presentations of each applicant and comments from the public before voting to approve the four applications for conditional use.
Cabrera’s Slider Marianas proposes to grow cannabis on the ground floor of a two-story building in Chalan Laulau while Doyle’s Saipan Select will grow cannabis in a single-story building in Tanapag.
Green Light will sell and serve cannabis in the Garapan tourist district. It plans to renovate the former Pacific Amusement Inc.’s office at the corner of Beach Road and Micro Beach Road and turn it into a retail store and lounge.
Slider Marianas’ Cabrera assured the administrative assistant of a neighboring office that the indoor cannabis farm will be properly “enclosed” and there will be no “traffic of customers” because there will be no cannabis transactions in the building. He said the only people who will frequent the indoor farm are Cabrera and his staff.
Joshua Sasamoto, vice president of Green Light Inc., told the board, “We are excited to be part of this emerging industry — we take it very seriously.”
He said their clientele will be primarily from Japan and Taiwan.
Green Light, he added, will buy cannabis from local farmers.
“We’re trying to help nurture the industry itself. We believe in integrity, responsibility and self-regulation,” he said.
During the first public hearing for cannabis farming in October, the Zoning Board approved the conditional-use applications of Justo Quitugua Jr.’s Primo Farms, which proposed to construct a single-story indoor cannabis farm on Capital Hill; Scot Thompson’s Marianas Hemp Farms, which proposed to use cargo storage containers for cannabis farming in As Teo; and Joaquin DLG Torres’ Tuu Group LLC, which proposed to build a two-story building made of cargo containers for cannabis farming in As Mahetog.
