A.G. Gancarski
Earlier this summer, the Jacksonville City Council passed, without any significant debate or public notice, a emergency moratorium on the dispensing and cultivation of Charlotte’s Web. The bill was rushed through Land Use and Zoning, and presented as an addendum item at the end of a packed Council meeting. The media, rushing to file stories on the Pension Deal, largely missed the action.
In terms of the Sunshine Law, the rushed emergency moratorium constituted a Total Eclipse.
Mayor Alvin Brown signed off on it, and all appeared to be well, until some very real issues came up regarding an unregistered lobbyist being the linchpin of the effort to drive the moratorium, coupled with revelations that the Gainesville lobbyist’s attempts to drive the moratorium locally would have the adverse impact of driving Jacksonville nurseries out of the game when it came to getting licensed by the state of Florida.
Two weeks after passing the moratorium, the Council repealed the measure.
The moratorium has come up again, but this time, any possible legislation will be formulated through a more traditional process, beginning with a Tuesday workshop, at 4:00 p.m. before the LUZ meeting, involving the LUZ Committee and the Planning Commission.
The workshop will “discuss locational and development criteria for Cultivation Facilities, Processing Facilities and Dispensing Facilities for Low THC Cannabis,” and revolves around the latest moratorium legislation, which would issue a temporary moratorium on cultivation of Charlotte’s Web outside of Agricultural Districts for 90 days, and on dispensing anywhere in Duval County for 120 days.
On Friday morning, Florida Politics spoke with LUZ Chair Scott Wilson in his office about what the workshop would accomplish, and how this process would materially differ from that earlier this year.
“The main objective,” Wilson said of the workshop, is to “comply with state law” and find “appropriate zoning and locations” for cultivation and dispensing of the medicine, ensuring that no “detrimental impact” is created with a given location.
Wilson recognizes that, contrary to the assertions of some, that there probably won’t be an impact. However, the larger national trend toward medical marijuana emerging in different forms than CBD oil has not escaped his notice.
“I can see the future,” he says, and “we need to look out for the people in Jacksonville,” given that medical marijuana in other places has led to “more open types of usage” and larger acceptance of the medicine.
“If something should change” regarding state or federal law, Jacksonville will be more ready after this process.
So far, there has been no public response to this workshop, but Wilson welcomes it.
“Our objective is open and public meetings.”
The workshop may modify the current legislation considerably, or not at all, depending on public input.
Two people familiar with MMJ legislation on the state level, Christopher Ralph and Ian Christensen, will be on hand at the workshop, helping to ensure integrity of the process.
Their presence will help avoid the “knee jerk reaction” of the previous council on this matter, facilitating a “more open process.”
Wilson doesn’t expect changes in state law on the cannabis front in 2016, but he wants Jacksonville to be prepared.
Regarding the potential of more “euphoric” strains of this medicine becoming legal under state law, Wilson notes that “we haven’t had this discussion yet, but it may come up in workshop.”
The city is more focused on the “oil-based” medicine.
The workshop commences at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday in Council Chambers. Interested parties are encouraged to attend.
