City Council decides to have 2nd reading of repealing medical marijuana prohibitions

Nothing has been easy regarding marijuana dispensaries coming to the city of Mansfield.

Following two months of discussion, debate and impassioned pleas on both sides of the issue, Mansfield City Council voted 5-3 last month not to impose a six-month moratorium on marijuana dispensaries.

Members were scheduled to vote Tuesday night to repeal existing prohibitions regarding medical marijuana but ended up holding that measure and another one regarding zoning changes to a first reading. Council is now scheduled to vote at its next meeting on Aug. 6.

"To get the initial permits, you need to be dual use (medical and recreational)," Mayor Jodie Perry told council. "Allowing recreational but holding back medical marijuana doesn't allow anything to move forward."

Language regarding zoning regulations was not ready for Tuesday's meeting, but Perry assured council members it would be available for the next session.

Councilman David Falquette questioned not voting to remove the prohibitions regarding medical marijuana.

"This really has nothing to do with zoning changes," he said of the bill. "This should be clean. I'm not sure why we would delay on that. Am I missing something?"

'Cleanest to wait'

Perry offered her input.

"As part of the licensing process, the dispensaries have to get a sign-off from the city, saying the location that they want fits our zoning, or that we don't have a prohibition in place," the mayor said. "We think it's the cleanest to wait until we have started the zoning process.

"Once we repeal this, we have no prohibitions in place. Theoretically, they still need the city to sign off, but we think to hold this to one more reading in August, we can vote on it that night, and we should have the zoning ready to start at that point."

Councilwoman Stephanie Zader was open to a second reading.

"I've already received phone calls from local real estate agents and investors looking for locations to put dispensaries in," she said.

Perry added, "We don't want to see someone buying property and then having it not fall in line with final zoning."

Councilman El Akuchie was perhaps the most outspoken member in opposition to allowing marijuana dispensaries to come to Mansfield.

'Not really ready to vote'

He said Tuesday he wanted three readings.

"I am not really ready to vote on anything," Akuchie said. "If we can have two more readings before we vote, that would be my preference."

Perry assured Akuchie that, per state regulations, dispensaries would have to be a mile apart and 500 feet away from schools, churches, parks and libraries. She told him the city would recommend additional regulations.

Councilwoman Deb Mount, who introduced the bill, made a motion to hold it to a first reading.

Zader advised not holding it any longer than that.

"The administration has brought us a bill. They have said they would be prepared by the first meeting in August," she said. "I don't see what there is to discuss."

Zader added that members could always amend the bill if a third reading proved necessary.

Perry said having a second reading would not hold up the process for anyone looking to open a marijuana dispensary.

"At the next meeting, you will absolutely have the initial zoning proposal," the mayor added.

In an interview with the News Journal last week, Perry said dispensaries would likely be zoned B-2, which is for larger businesses and involves more requirements.

mcaudill@gannett.com

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