Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Manatee County - Speaking from her wheelchair in a voice that struggled to make itself clear, Cathy Jordan on Thursday tried to impress upon the Manatee County Commission why medical marijuana is needed by people with chronic conditions such as herself.
"I offer my services to you for education," said Jordan, who relies on marijuana for relief from the slowly paralyzing effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Like several other jurisdictions, Manatee is on the verge of imposing a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries.
On Nov. 8, 71 percent of Florida's electorate approved the use of medical marijuana for patients who receive a physician's consent.
While the Florida Department of Health proceeds with creating regulations for businesses that distribute medical marijuana, counties and municipalities statewide intend to get land use regulations in place that determine where those dispensaries can or cannot be located.
"We fought for years to get where we are today and we won," Jordan's husband, Bob Jordan, told commissioners - referring to the passage of Amendment 2. "I guess we're some kind of experts but we're available."
The Parrish couple became vocal advocates for medical marijuana after sheriff's deputies discovered pot plants on their property in 2013. Noting that Cathy Jordan said she used the plants for medical reasons, deputies declined to arrest the couple. They referred the case to the State Attorney's Office, which decided not to prosecute.
Still, the Jordans did not want to see other Floridians who use marijuana for medical reasons to go through their ordeal.
"It's not recreational," area resident Dennis Puckett told commissioners. "It's for people like me."
Puckett said five specialists and three pain clinics have treated him for neurological disorders. "All they've done is make my body a living hell."
Commissioner Carol Whitmore, a nurse, said she voted for the state constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana. "There are (medical) uses for it," she said.
However, Whitmore favors a moratorium while the county determines how it will permit the dispensaries. Just as county laws may prohibit "a strip club next to a day care," laws should be in place about where dispensaries may be appropriate or inappropriate, Whitmore said.
For example, county planner Fred Goodrich said, the commission may decide dispensaries should be a specific distance away from a church or school.
"This is not a prohibition on medical marijuana," Assistant County Attorney Bill Clague emphasized. "Our (existing) codes just don't know how to deal with it."
In a final public hearing Dec. 13, the commission could vote to implement a six-month moratorium recommended by their staff.
The Jordans and others urged county staff to expedite the process because any delay affects patients who are likely to get authorization from physicians to use marijuana.
"The longer you put this off the longer people suffer," Puckett said.
"I assure the public we will do it in a timely fashion," Commissioner Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh said.
On Dec. 14, the Bradenton City Council will conduct a final public hearing on its proposed moratorium.
Bradenton's ordinance also calls for a six-month period in which the city will get regulations in place before dispensaries can open. Trulieve, a Tallahassee-based firm, already has plans to operate a dispensary in the 1100 block of 14th Street West.
Other jurisdictions in the Sarasota-Manatee region are also imposing waiting periods or other regulations in preparation for medical marijuana dispensaries.
North Port recently limited dispensaries within that city to two: one east of Sumter Boulevard and another west of Sumter. It also imposes zoning restrictions and a 1,500-foot distance from churches, schools, day care centers and another dispensary.
The city of Sarasota imposed a nine-month moratorium. Longboat Key and Venice adopted yearlong waiting periods to get regulations in place.
In 2014, when a medical marijuana referendum failed, Sarasota County adopted restrictions in case it passed. Those rules required medical marijuana establishments to obtain special exceptions to operate in certain zoning districts.
Also two years ago, Palmetto adopted a law restricting dispensaries to an industrial zone.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Waiting Period Likely For Medical Marijuana Businesses
Author: Dale White
Contact: (941) 361-4800
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Herald Tribune
"I offer my services to you for education," said Jordan, who relies on marijuana for relief from the slowly paralyzing effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Like several other jurisdictions, Manatee is on the verge of imposing a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries.
On Nov. 8, 71 percent of Florida's electorate approved the use of medical marijuana for patients who receive a physician's consent.
While the Florida Department of Health proceeds with creating regulations for businesses that distribute medical marijuana, counties and municipalities statewide intend to get land use regulations in place that determine where those dispensaries can or cannot be located.
"We fought for years to get where we are today and we won," Jordan's husband, Bob Jordan, told commissioners - referring to the passage of Amendment 2. "I guess we're some kind of experts but we're available."
The Parrish couple became vocal advocates for medical marijuana after sheriff's deputies discovered pot plants on their property in 2013. Noting that Cathy Jordan said she used the plants for medical reasons, deputies declined to arrest the couple. They referred the case to the State Attorney's Office, which decided not to prosecute.
Still, the Jordans did not want to see other Floridians who use marijuana for medical reasons to go through their ordeal.
"It's not recreational," area resident Dennis Puckett told commissioners. "It's for people like me."
Puckett said five specialists and three pain clinics have treated him for neurological disorders. "All they've done is make my body a living hell."
Commissioner Carol Whitmore, a nurse, said she voted for the state constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana. "There are (medical) uses for it," she said.
However, Whitmore favors a moratorium while the county determines how it will permit the dispensaries. Just as county laws may prohibit "a strip club next to a day care," laws should be in place about where dispensaries may be appropriate or inappropriate, Whitmore said.
For example, county planner Fred Goodrich said, the commission may decide dispensaries should be a specific distance away from a church or school.
"This is not a prohibition on medical marijuana," Assistant County Attorney Bill Clague emphasized. "Our (existing) codes just don't know how to deal with it."
In a final public hearing Dec. 13, the commission could vote to implement a six-month moratorium recommended by their staff.
The Jordans and others urged county staff to expedite the process because any delay affects patients who are likely to get authorization from physicians to use marijuana.
"The longer you put this off the longer people suffer," Puckett said.
"I assure the public we will do it in a timely fashion," Commissioner Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh said.
On Dec. 14, the Bradenton City Council will conduct a final public hearing on its proposed moratorium.
Bradenton's ordinance also calls for a six-month period in which the city will get regulations in place before dispensaries can open. Trulieve, a Tallahassee-based firm, already has plans to operate a dispensary in the 1100 block of 14th Street West.
Other jurisdictions in the Sarasota-Manatee region are also imposing waiting periods or other regulations in preparation for medical marijuana dispensaries.
North Port recently limited dispensaries within that city to two: one east of Sumter Boulevard and another west of Sumter. It also imposes zoning restrictions and a 1,500-foot distance from churches, schools, day care centers and another dispensary.
The city of Sarasota imposed a nine-month moratorium. Longboat Key and Venice adopted yearlong waiting periods to get regulations in place.
In 2014, when a medical marijuana referendum failed, Sarasota County adopted restrictions in case it passed. Those rules required medical marijuana establishments to obtain special exceptions to operate in certain zoning districts.
Also two years ago, Palmetto adopted a law restricting dispensaries to an industrial zone.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Waiting Period Likely For Medical Marijuana Businesses
Author: Dale White
Contact: (941) 361-4800
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Herald Tribune
