DES PERES, Mo. — On Wednesday night, a medical marijuana dispensary took another step toward opening in Des Peres after officials ruled in its favor in a dispute over a proposed location.
The Root 66 medical marijuana dispensary wants to open on Manchester Road in the current Paper Dolls Building. Two doors down is the Mathnasium tutoring center, which city officials have said technically isn't a school.
On Wednesday, the city's board of adjustments made that ruling official, meaning Root 66 can move ahead with plans.
Missouri state law says a marijuana dispensary cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare.
In a meeting last week, the Mathnasium said it is a school because K-12 students come there for math instruction six days a week. Attorneys argued Des Peres' own city code doesn't even define what a school is. They're also upset that some nearby businesses claim they were blind-sided by the Root 66 dispensary requesting to move in.
The board did not side with their argument and instead gave Root 66 the OK to continue its process.
Root 66 still has several more steps before it can open, and opponents said they intend to appeal the decision.