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LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — City commissioners in Lake Worth Beach will revisit an issue that was voted on nearly six years ago. They’ll decide on keeping medical dispensaries in the city with added regulations.
In 2018, a 4-1 vote solidified that just two medical marijuana dispensaries would be enough for the city. Lake Worth Beach leaders voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within city limits. The decision came shortly after Florida legalized medical marijuana, leaving it up to municipalities to regulate dispensaries. The topic is now back on the agenda to make one more thing final.
“We wanted to preempt the ability for recreational marijuana to be sold in the city,” said William Waters, Community Sustainability Director. “We had two dispensaries that were approved several years ago, that was the maximum number the commission wanted to have. We’ve made any further expansion of those dispensaries non-conforming or illegal, so we’ll only ever have two dispensaries.”
That was a move made by the prior commission based on the population. Fast forward, the current commission is now looking to add an ordinance that would further regulate these dispensaries in city.
“Right now, our commission is proposing not to have any recreational marijuana sales if they ever became legal in Florida. The ordinance itself doesn’t go into it, but there are some concerns that marijuana may have on our population,” said Waters.
“Right now, our commission is proposing not to have any recreational marijuana sales if they ever became legal in Florida,” said William Waters.
The proposed ordinance comes on the heels of a failed amendment that would’ve allowed the recreational use of marijuana in Florida. While the commission hopes this seals the future of recreational marijuana use in the city, a reversed ban on medical dispensaries isn’t completely ruled out.
“If a commission wanted to reverse our current standing, they can always change through the public hearing process, it takes four public hearings to do it, one before each of our advisory boards, and then two before the city commission,” said Waters.
The commission will move to approve or disapprove the ordinance in an upcoming commission meeting on Dec. 17.
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 21.
“}]] In 2018, a 4-1 vote solidified that just two medical marijuana dispensaries would be enough for the city. Read More
