New Port Richey Medical marijuana supporters gave 170,839 reasons Feb. 7 why New Port Richey City Council should not impose a one-year moratorium on cultivation, processing and dispensing of cannabis.
Thats the number of Pasco voters who voted yes to constitutional amendment No. 2 in November, or a solid majority of slightly more than 71 percent, election records show.
It sounds more like a moral disapproval, resident Denise Houston testified at the first public hearing, when its the first official action taken by the city after the amendment passed. It appears to her the city is trying to create a business roadblock.
The amendment that passed statewide legalized medicinal uses of marijuana as an alternative to very potent prescription drugs based on opiates. The medical form of marijuana retains painkiller properties but strips the chemical that gives the user a high sensation.
Council members countered that the city is waiting on state regulators to establish guidelines, before July 1, on permits, licenses and other restrictions.
About a year ago, council members amended the land development code to include cannabis enterprises, City Manager Debbie Manns said. The same section of codes also restricts areas for businesses such as blood plasma centers, body piercing establishments, check cashing stores, day labor establishments, pawn shops and tattoo parlors to minimize any adverse impacts on neighborhoods.
Council members settled upon a compromise six-month moratorium proposed by Councilman Bill Phillips. Two work sessions were added to the motion by Councilman Jeff Starkey. The proposal passed 5-0 on the first vote.
During public comments, Houston also noted that dispensaries could add jobs to the community.
Port Richey already decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, resident Anthony Livio said. Police can issue citations instead of filing misdemeanor charges that might bar an offender from jobs or getting into colleges.
Living in Colorado for seven years, Livio said he saw good and bad effects from legalization of marijuana there. Returning to Florida, Livio saw a relative wean himself off painkiller drugs for a medical condition. Livio also suggested the council conduct a workshop.
Another resident believes new tax revenue from medical marijuana could help fix roads and that opiate use decreases in states that have legalized medical marijuana.
Among council member comments, Phillips said the city could face lawsuits if it ever tried to bar dispensaries. The city cant deny a use, but can define where a business is allowable. Phillips recalled how the council wrestled with how to control locations for adult entertainment businesses in the 1990s.
We all have compassion for people suffering from catastrophic, chronic conditions, Phillips remarked. Im not chasing the money from a possible new tax revenue source.
Councilwoman Judy DeBella Thomas watched a Florida League of Cities web seminar on the topic that she found very informative. The city must practice due diligence to avoid mistakes made at first with the adult firm ordinance. The state does not want to repeat mistakes that led to pill mills in recent years that required corrective legislation.
None of us are doctors, Councilman Jeff Starkey commented. He thinks opiates should never have become legal because of devastating effects from addictions. Even so, he believes some marijuana drug dealers remain very shady characters. Starkey also acknowledged decriminalization in Port Richey for small amounts of marijuana.
I see where its needed, Councilman Chopper Davis said about work sessions so council can become educated about the issues. Im totally for it.
Mayor Rob Marlowe said federal regulators should deal with these issues, too. To place marijuana in the same category as heroin is patently absurd, Marlowe said.
The mayor saw firsthand the side effects of a painkiller drug prescribed for a relative with a broken hip. Marlowe also would like to consider possible decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana, like Port Richey.
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Full Article: NPR Halves Cannabis Moratorium After Protest
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