A dispensary banning vote has been delayed in Orlando to give the local government some more time to consider their actions before making a serious decision. The city is frustrated over state zoning laws that force Orlando to zone just like they do for pharmacies. The city already had zoning plans they were planning on using and some feel it should be the local government’s job to make these sorts of decisions. Do you think that zoning rules for medical marijuana dispensaries should keep Orlando patients from getting access to medical marijuana?
The city of Orlando has delayed a vote on whether or not to ban new medical marijuana retail outlets.
Under current zoning, medical marijuana retail centers could go anywhere a Walgreens can go in Orlando. But the city required them to be a mile apart to prevent clustering, and allowed a maximum of seven dispensaries in the city.
That zoning came before the legislature passed a bill stripping local governments from putting those kinds of restrictions on the books. So a proposed ordinance could ban them all together.
That vote was pushed back to the next meeting, though.
“During the special session, the legislature passed a state law that would give us the opportunity to have an infinite number of dispensaries or no dispensaries,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “We’re taking a look at whether we can simply look at the ordinance we passed before there was state legislation or not, and Kyle and the legal team will give us an answer to that in the next couple weeks.”
City Commissioner Patty Sheehan is against banning dispensaries. She said she talks with residents with HIV and cancer who need medical marijuana.
“This is just an oil to help them with their medical needs,” Sheehan said. “I think we need to think about being compassionate toward others. I’m glad we took the prohibition off today. I support dispensing medical marijuana and cannabis to those who need it.”
Orlando has one existing medical marijuana retail outlet: Knox Nursery in Ivanhoe Village. If the city were to ban medical marijuana retail outlets, it could be grandfathered in.