Orlando’s City Council approved new regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries Monday, just days after the city’s first legal-cannabis seller opened for business.
No more than seven dispensaries will be allowed to operate in the city under the rules approved by commissioners Monday. Dispensaries are also prohibited from setting up shop within 200 feet of homes, 1,000 feet of schools or a mile of each other.
Though some of the restrictions drew criticism at earlier public hearings, no opponents spoke before Monday’s vote, which was unanimous.
In embracing the new regulations, the City Council effectively repealed Orlando’s moratorium on dispensaries that was put in place in July, months before Florida voters approved medical marijuana last fall.
The city’s first dispensary, Knox Cannabis Dispensary, opened its storefront on North Orange Avenue in the Ivanhoe Village neighborhood Friday. Knox was allowed to open during the moratorium because it had applied to the city for approval before the temporary ban was in place.
The rules approved Monday require dispensaries to provide anti-theft security and limit their business hours to 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Hospitals with more than 100 beds will also be allowed to dispense medical marijuana, without counting against the seven-dispensary cap.
While Orlando has enacted its rules for medical marijuana, state lawmakers failed to set up a regulatory framework for the new industry before the legislative session ended last month.
Legislators will be back in Tallahassee this week for a three-day special session and could take up the issue again during that period.
Link – Orlando Sentinel
