Medical marijuana put on hold in Key West

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

For Key West residents hoping to start selling medical marijuana as a result of the November election legalizing it in Florida, not so fast.

Key West City Commissioners on April 4 agreed to a nine-month moratorium on growing, processing, dispensing and selling of medical pot in the city at the request of Patrick Wright, interim planning director. The ordinance passed on first reading and will require a second vote at the next commission meeting to become final.

However, that seems likely, as the April 4 vote approving the 270-day moratorium was unanimous. The purpose, according to Wright, was that with the state Department of Health still writing the details of the legislation – due out by July 1 – Key West will likely have to change its land development regulations to include the state rules.

“It [moratorium] is a stopgap so that we can get Tallahassee and the Department of Health to give us some guidance and some regulations that we can effectuate at the local level,” Wright told commissioners. “If we’re going to establish changes to the [Key West] land development regulations, that takes some time, as you know. I think it is a reasonable amount of time.”

Changing local land use and development regulations requires a lengthy process, starting with planning board approval, then moving on to two public hearings at the commission level before going into effect.

Since the 270-day moratorium would start Feb. 23, when the planning board first took up the matter, the moratorium would end in November, opening the door to a local company or companies applying to grow and distribute medical marijuana, which is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses.

Local doctor Jack Norris told commissioners that he has authorized five Key West patients over the past three months to use medical marijuana. An Orlando firm drives down to deliver the herb to patients here. While Dr. Norris does not advocate the recreational use of marijuana, he is a believer in its medical benefits, as he described the startling effect on a patient with Parkinson’s Disease.

“I would not have believed it so readily if I had not visualized it with my own eyes over 15 minutes,” he said.

However, two other people came to the podium asking that the 270-day moratorium be shortened. Giancarlo Espinosa, who recently announced his intention to run against incumbent U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo (R) in 2018, said that the state probably won’t license many Florida companies to grow, process and cultivate the herb. However, those approved dispensaries will open satellite office locations around the state to handle sales. Because Key West is unlikely to house a dispensary, 270 days may not be necessary to amend land development regulations, Espinosa said.

“Two hundred seventy days is a very, very, very long time for this to pass. People that have cancer, ALS or Parkinson’s… will have a much harder time getting it at a much more expensive price,” Espinosa said.

That was echoed by Gary Hempsey, a cancer patient living in Big Coppitt.

“I have cancer,” he said. “Two hundred seventy days is too long.”

Wright said it might be possible to shorten the moratorium if state health officials finalize dispensary rules before the July 1 deadline.

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