The city is Tallahassee is no longer accepting medical marijuana dispensary applications.
City Commissioners voted Wednesday to place a moratorium on accepting any applications for new medical marijuana dispensaries. The hold is expected to stay in place for the next four months. The idea is that it will give city officials more time to develop a plan about where and how dispensaries should be built. But Commissioner Gil Ziffer says while he supports the use of medical marijuana, he doesn’t think 120 days is a long enough time frame.
“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. So while I want this and I want it to move forward, I’m going to have to vote against this because I think the timing is wrong. We’re going to put ourselves in a position where we’re going to have to come back and do this again,” Ziffer says.
Ziffer is concerned lawmakers could create rules during the legislative session that might conflict with any zoning decision the city makes. And Commissioner Scott Maddox agrees that’s a possibility. But Commissioner Nancy Miller agues waiting for the legislature might take too long.
“After the legislature is finished, then they’ll go into rule-making, correct? And then it’ll be a ways down the road before they get a conclusion. I think that in my mind, I’d like to do something and then if we have to amend it later, come back and do that,” Miller says.
Commissioners approved the 4-month moratorium with Commissioners Ziffer and Maddox voting against the plan.
