Panama City to consider medical marijuana

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With the moratorium on the sale of medical marijuana coming to an end in August, the Panama City Commission plans to discuss regulations at their meeting on Tuesday.

A proposed ordinance would require medical cannabis dispensaries to be located at least 500 feet away from any church, school, public park or other cannabis dispensary. In addition, the dispensary would not be allowed to have a drive-through, sell alcohol or allow patients to consume medical cannabis on site.

The proposal is slightly more liberal than ordinance being passed by other local municipalities. Panama City Beach, for example, is set to restrict dispensaries to opening in one of three predetermined locations, and the county included state-licensed child care facilities among the buildings cannabis dispensaries must be 500 feet away from.

The state legislation — which many local governments were waiting on when they passed moratoriums following the ballot vote — passed on Friday, June 9.

Under that legislation, which is headed to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk, there will be a cap of 25 dispensaries-per-medical marijuana treatment center and that there won’t be a sales tax. The bill still bans smoking, despite amendment supporters saying it is written into the language.

Trulieve, one of the state’s biggest medical marijuana companies, has said they are looking to open a dispensary somewhere in the vicinity of Bay County, but are waiting to see if Bay County, Panama City Beach or Panama City passes the most favorable ordinances.

In addition to discussions on medical marijuana, the Panama City Commission will talk about how to spend the half-cent infrastructure sales tax. According to city documents, the city is looking to use sales tax money to pave alleyways and replace rotting and falling corrugated pipes.

The commissioners will also be reviewing information from consulting firm ZHA about the proposed renovations to the Trustmark bank building to turn it into a city hall.

The meeting will be at 8 a.m. on Tuesday at 9 Harrison Avenue.

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