County commission to vote on marijuana ordinance

If Amendment 2 should pass in the state on Tuesday, Sarasota County commissioners want to have regulations in place at the local level for medical marijuana-related operations.

The county ordinance will require a special exception for any marijuana-related business to run, from growing to selling. It also places specific restrictions on where, when and how a dispensary could operate.

Some restrictions include:

• No drive-through facilities;
• No dispensary withing 500 feet of schools, churches, day cares, and public parks and beaches;
• No facility located on the same property as a medical office, pain management clinic, pharmacy or another medical marijuana dispensary.

Cannabis farms would only be allowed to operate in open use agriculture, open use rural and open use estate zoning districts. Dispensaries could be located in office, professional, and institutional and commercial general zoning districts.

“We need to have something in place,” said Commissioner Christine Robinson at the Oct. 8 meeting. “This is appropriate to have in place in anticipation, if the amendment should pass”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Sarasota County Commission meeting.
WHEN: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.
WHERE: Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 South Tamiami Trail, Venice.