FL: Will Fort Pierce Be Next Treasure Coast Community To Ban Medical Marijuana Shops

Ron Strider

Well-Known Member
Two city commissioners want to follow Indian River County's lead in banning medical marijuana dispensaries.

Commissioners Rufus Alexander and Reggie Sessions in July said they support banning the dispensaries because they fear owners of the facilities would place them in lower-income neighborhoods, which would derail the city's effort to improve the area.

"I'm afraid the dispensaries will be popping up next to schools and our children," Alexander said Friday. He and Sessions represent District 1, the lower-socioeconomic area of the city. "I'll support it if they put them on the beachside."

Sessions could not be reached for comment Friday.

But before a decision is made, the City Commission wants to hear from residents.-

A community workshop is scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday in Commission Chambers in City Hall.

Voters were clear on Nov. 8, when more than 65 percent of Fort Pierce and 70 percent of St. Lucie County voted yes on Amendment 2, which legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

For Sessions and Alexander, their positions are based in a prejudice of "marijuana being a gateway drug," said Michael Patterson, CEO of U.S. Cannabis and Pharmaceutical Research, whose company wants to open dispensaries in Brevard and St. Lucie counties.

"It's not a gateway drug. It's an exit drug. It takes people away from abusing opioids," Patterson said.

Dispensary companies likely would build their facilities in highly-traveled commercial areas to make the product easily accessible and safe for patients, Patterson predicted.

"From a business standpoint, it would not make sense for me to place my business somewhere where my clients can't find it or in a part of town where my clients don't feel safe going," Patterson said.

If Fort Pierce bans medical marijuana dispensaries, it would join Indian River County, whose commission banned the facilities on Tuesday

Vero Beach is considering a ban. However, it has grandfathered a Trulieve dispensary approved for Commerce Avenue south of Police Department headquarters.

In May, St. Lucie County passed regulations for medical-marijuana dispensaries. Soon after, Tallahassee-based Trulieve received approval to open a dispensary at 8613 U.S. 1, in the Crowne Plaza shopping center across from Savanna Club.

Trulieve officials initially planned for a July opening. However, they have yet to announce a new opening date. Trulieve officials could not be reached for comment on Friday.

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