Court sets deadline in St John’s Parish marijuana dispensary permit decision – lobservateur.com
Published 8:57 pm Friday, January 30, 2026
By Amos Abba
After nearly a year of legal wrangling over whether St. John the Baptist Parish will allow its first medical marijuana dispensary, a district court has ordered parish officials to make a final zoning decision by May 28.
In a final ruling issued on Monday, Judge Vercell Fiffie of the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard directed the parish to either approve or deny Green Leaf Dispensary’s building permit application, ending a dispute that began in 2024.
The case stems from the parish zoning board’s third-party assessor denying the permit on the grounds that local ordinances do not specifically list “medical marijuana pharmacies” as a permitted business use, even though pharmacies are permitted in the applicable commercial zoning district.
Judge Fiffie ordered the parish to notify Green Leaf dispensary of any deficiencies in its application by Feb. 28 and to allow the applicant 30 days to address them. The parish must then determine whether the project complies with local ordinances and state regulations, including any public health or safety considerations, and issue a final decision by May 28.
“It is important that the parish act swiftly and transparently to make a decision on this application,” Fiffie said, noting that further delay would not serve the parish’s best interests.
Omar Pecantte who owns Green Leaf Dispensary also operates medical marijuana dispensaries in Houma and Morgan City had purchased property on Belle Terre Boulevard near St. Andrews Boulevard in Laplace in the summer of 2024 with plans to open his third dispensary.
In denying the permit, St. John the Baptist officials argued the zoning ordinances do not specifically list “medical marijuana pharmacies” among the types of businesses allowed in the parish, stating that any use not explicitly permitted is prohibited unless the parish classifies medical marijuana dispensaries as pharmacies.
On Jan. 13, 2025, Pecantte filed a lawsuit in St. John’s 40th Judicial District Court. He sought damages of $300,000, alleging that the delay had caused his business to lose revenue. In his lawsuit, Pecantte countered that Green Leaf Dispensary was licensed by the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy and employed licensed pharmacists, as required by state law, and that the land he purchased was zoned as a commercial district that permits pharmacies.
In 2018, the company was also among the first 10 pharmacies statewide to receive authorization to dispense medical marijuana.
Speaking about the recent court’s decision, “At this time, I don’t have further comment until a final decision has been made,” Pecantte said. “The court’s ruling is a good first step.”
Until the court’s ruling, the legal dispute had raised questions about whether a medical marijuana pharmacy can operate in St. John the Baptist Parish under existing zoning rules. Pecantte said he hopes that if the issue is resolved promptly, the Laplace location could open sooner.