Florida: Miami Beach Commissioners Voted Within 24 Hours Of Ballot Passing To Introduce Four Month Ban On Cannabis Dispensary Openings

14 November 2016

The Miami Herald reports

The morning after 71 percent of Florida voters approved the use of medical marijuana for people with debilitating medical conditions, Miami Beach passed a four-month ban on the opening of marijuana dispensaries.

Commissioners voted 5-1 Wednesday to start a moratorium, with Commissioner Michael Grieco opposing it. Commissioner Rick Arriola, who sponsored the ordinance, said the measure is meant to give the city time to create regulations for where the dispensaries can be located. Mayor Philip Levine was absent.

Grieco said he was concerned that the commission might be ignoring the will of a majority of Miami Beach voters by creating a moratorium longer than the one already built into the passage of Amendment 2, which is 60 days.

That 60-day window is supposed to allow the state Legislature to pass any relevant laws for implementation and the Florida Department of Health to create rules for dispensaries related to licensing, security and other issues.

While arguing that the city should hustle to develop its own zoning regulations within the 60-day window, Grieco pointed to existing regulations on low-THC cannabis for cancer patients as an indication of what the state will do in the next few months.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article113659904.html#storylink=cpy

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