Palm Bay voted 4 to 1 in favor of a citywide ban on new medical marijuana dispensaries on Thursday, May 21.
The ordinance was created as a reaction to 13 new dispensaries opening near a daycare, Mike Jaffe, deputy mayor, said.
City Council met to discuss the ordinance, where opinions were split among Palm Bay neighbors in attendance.
Many residents reflected Jaffe’s concerns with the building of new dispensaries. Neighbors worried about the accessibility and misuse of medical marijuana as well as the danger of driving impaired.
“My God, the way people drive in Florida today, that’s terrifying,” said 71-year-old resident, Robert Stise.
However, some opposed the ordinance, citing medical marijuana as a tool for veterans dealing with anxiety and PTSD.
“I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you right now if it were not for medical marijuana,” said another resident who mentioned he was a Permanent and Total veteran, meaning he has the highest disability rating among veterans.
“We are a Purple Heart city,” 40-year-old Douglas Hook said. “I just wanted to remind City Council that that is one of the demographics that is kind of overlooked with this decision.”
Other reasons brought up by residents opposing the ban, said that medical dispensaries are legitimate businesses that bring money into the city.
Still, other neighbors pushed back on the mental health front.
“If we’re really interested in helping people that are dealing with that thing I would suggest that they use some other drug that doesn’t have the potential of actually making them see something that’s not there or hear something that’s not there,” said one resident.
Resident Dain Stolba, 26, urged city council members to set safeguards in place, compromising between both sides.
“What happens if for some reason those businesses shut down,” Stolba said. He suggested amending the ability to replace existing dispensaries if needed or limiting the number of dispensaries allowed within city limits, however, these were unviable options.
“The [Florida] statute actually prohibits us from limiting the number or treating these dispensaries any differently than we do any other pharmacy,” the City Attorney explained. This means Palm Bay has two options: ban new dispensaries or welcome them all in as pharmacies; no special treatment, no special amendments.
Jaffe also addressed economic concerns that the ban would affect development. He said marijuana dispensaries do not own any real estate, instead they lease their properties because most banks will not bank with them. He also said he believes they are not essential for job creation as they are not significant employment hubs.
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