DADE CITY, Fla. -- Dade City commissioners recently approved a six-month extension on its medical marijuana dispensary moratorium.
- Extension on Dade City marijuana moratorium
- First moratorium came in a 2016 ordinance
- Commissioners will use time to make sure everything in place with dispensaries
“Rules are changing. It’s kind of like a fluid process and we want to, again, make sure we have all the information,” said Dade City Manager Billy Poe.
An agenda memo on the proposed extension notes that the first moratorium came in a 2016 ordinance. It followed the November 2016 amendment of Florida’s constitution to allow “the dispensing and use of marijuana for medical purposes by persons with debilitating diseases.” The moratorium was supposed to give them time to look into the impact the amendment would have on the city.
The memo says when the state legislature enacted SB-8A last July to put that amendment into effect, it laid out regulations about where dispensaries could be located and noted that, unless a municipality banned the facilities, local governments could limit how many could open there.
“It seems like we’re ready to make a decision, and then something different comes from the state – a different rule, a different direction. We want to make sure we have everything in place before we make that decision,” said Poe.
The original moratorium was extended twice – most recently on April 10. Poe said this will give city commissioners the chance to look into how state regulations will impact the city.
There are currently no medical marijuana dispensaries in Pasco County, but Dr. Tanmay Patel said he sees a demand.
“A lot of my patients, that’s the first question they ask,” Patel said.
Patel opened his New Port Richey medical marijuana clinic, Natural Clinic MD, last July. He said he now sees 15-20 new patients weekly to determine if they qualify for medical marijuana.
“There are a lot of my patients who say, ‘I can’t drive to Clearwater.’ It’s an hour drive, and they’re just usually driving locally,” Patel said. “One of my patients has ALS, so he’s on a wheelchair always. He has to physically call a bus or somebody to take him over there.”
Elsewhere in the county, Zephyrhills has a moratorium on dispensaries that’s set to expire this month, and San Antonio banned the facilities last year. Port Richey and New Port Richey have no moratorium.
A county spokesperson said one dispensary is in the early stages of looking to opening a location in Pasco. A pre-application meeting has been held regarding a Surterra dispensary that could be located at 4218 US Highway 19 in New Port Richey. The dispensary also applied for a building permit at the site.
People who live in Dade City will get the chance in the coming months to weigh in on the medical marijuana issue. The city commission is holding a workshop on June 12 at 4 p.m. in city hall.