The Town of Palm Shores, the Town of Grant-Valkaria, the City of Cape Canaveral, the City of Cocoa Beach, and the City of Titusville are among the many municipalities of Brevard County, Florida to preemptively regulate medical cannabis. FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org previously reported on the Cocoa Beach ordinance, and how Brevard County Commissioners were considering regulations, but have instead held off until after Amendment 2 is voted on in November before enacting any regulations.

Town of Grant-Valkaria Passes Medical Cannabis Ordinance 

In July the Town Council of Grant-Valkaria began working on an ordinance to limit dispensaries to the industrial district, along US 1. Town Administrator Rick Hood told Florida Today, “It’s laying the groundwork, that we would have something on the books until such time the state decides to come up with the rules and the laws. And then we’ll have to readdress, or possibly our ordinance would be grandfathered in.” The ordinance was passed at the Town Council’s August 13th meeting.

Town of Palm Shores Passes Two Ordinances To Regulate Medical Cannabis 

Ordinance No. 2014-08, the cannabis ordinance passed in July by the Palm Shores Town Council, is slightly different from some of the other local cannabis ordinances passed in Florida. The Palm Shores ordinance allows the cultivation, processing, and dispensing of medical cannabis, unlike other towns which have banned the cultivation and processing of cannabis. Dispensaries in Palm Shores shall be allowed as a Permitted Conditional Use in the M-1 zoning district. Outdoor cultivation is prohibited under the Palm Shores ordinance, cultivation must occur in an enclosed structure and is limited to 50 square feet of the facility. Indoor grow lights can’t exceed an aggregate of 1,200 watts. Growers will need to provide adequate ventilation to prevent odors from escaping the facility. In April the Town Council of Palm Shores began working on it’s first set of regulations which set store hours and required dispensaries to be 2,500 feet away from pharmacies, schools, medical offices, day care centers, adult living facilities, residential structures, playgrounds, churches, parks, and other dispensaries. That ordinance, Ordinance 2014-06, passed on May 27th.

Cape Canaveral Regulates Medical Cannabis Treatment Centers Similar to Pain Management Clinics

The City of Cape Canaveral opted to regulate medical cannabis treatment centers similar to pain management clinics, when it adopted Ordinance No. 09-2014. Oddly, under the new ordinance, consumption of pain management drugs, medical cannabis, and alcohol is prohibited at both pain management clinics and medical cannabis treatment centers. The Cape Canaveral medical cannabis ordinance also prohibits cash only pain management clinics and medical cannabis treatment centers. The ordinance also requires daily reports to be filed with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office with the number of doses dispensed and other information. Pharmacists and physicians who have The Cape Canaveral City Council relied on a 2009 white paper released by the California Police Chiefs Association, called the White Paper on Marijuana Dispensaries, to determine how Cape Canaveral should regulate medical cannabis dispensaries within city limits.

Pharmacist Urges County Commissioners To Consider Preemptively Regulating Medical Cannabis

In early July, at a Brevard County Commissioners meeting a pharmacist from Satellite Beach, named Eric Luzar, had the issue of preemptively regulating medical cannabis placed on the agenda. Luzar believes pharmacists should be involved in the dispensing of medical cannabis, and along with pharmacists from Naples, Fort Lauderdale, and Saint Petersburg, has formed Sunrise Compassionate Care, which seeks to become involved with medical cannabis dispensaries. Luzar wanted the County Commissioners to require the involvement of pharmacists at Brevard County medical cannabis dispensaries. Setting hours or operation and zoning rules for dispensaries were other issues Luzar requested the Commissioners consider.

Check back for Part 2 to find out about Titusville’s Medical Cannabis Moratorium and West Melbourne’s Proposed Regulations