Hollywood Approves Ordinance to Define Medical Marijuana Dispensing Facilities as Pharmacies

Adobestock

The Florida Legislature passed a Medical Marijuana bill in July of 2017, yet there are currently very few medical marijuana treatment centers in Florida. A lot of that has to do with regulations and clarity on how to classify Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Dispensing Facilities.

Recently, the Hollywood Commission amended the zoning and land development regulations by revising the definition of a pharmacy to include a medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facility. Also amended was article three, the distance separation requirements, which is 500 feet from a k-12 school. This is per state law.  This amendment means the city is now in compliance with state law.

To comply with state requirements, the text amendment will amend Article 2 and Article 3 of the Zoning and Land Development Regulations to include Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Dispensing Facility and to provide required distance separation requirements from schools.

A pharmacy is defined as a retail establishment primarily offering goods for sale and on-site dispensing of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs or both. It may also offer other services such as photo processing and eyeglass care. For purposes of this definition, a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Dispensing Facility shall be treated as a pharmacy.

A medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facility may not be located within 500 feet of a K-12 school unless the city approves the location through a formal proceeding open to the public.

At the February 1, 2017, City Commission meeting, the City Commission passed and adopted Chapter 109a of the City of Hollywood Code of Ordinances titled “Medical Marijuana Businesses” establishing regulations and guidelines for such use.

As this was an amendment to the Code of Ordinances, it did not require a recommendation by the Planning and Development Board. Following the adoption of this chapter, the State adopted legislature stating that cities are not permitted to establish supplementary regulations as it relates to Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Dispensing Facilities; and shall treat such uses in the same manner in which pharmacies are treated.

Author: Amanda Jones
Author: Amanda Jones

Amanda Jones specializes in social media marketing. She holds a Master's degree in Social Media Management from the University of Florida and a Social Media Professional Certificate from the University of Miami.

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