The commissioners of Orange County (central Florida) unanimously approved the opening of dispensaries for the sale of medical marijuana, a measure that will take effect on January 1, informed an official source today.
The vote taken this Tuesday night is a setback for the town halls of some cities in central Florida that had banned the opening of these dispensaries.
The law passed by the Orange County Assembly allows the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries and regulates their control as pharmacies.
“Orange County has voted unanimously to allow cannabis dispensaries as of January 1, 2018, consistent with the will of the voters,” noted on their Twitter account the county authorities, one of the largest in Florida.
In the November 2016 referendum, more than 70% of Floridian voters voted to allow the use of medical marijuana in the state.
“Medical marijuana is a state law and not implementing a voter-approved law goes against everything I’ve been taught while growing up,” said Commissioner Pete Clarke, according to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
For her part, Councilwoman Emily Bonilla called “negative stigma” negative feelings about the use of medical marijuana.
Last June, the first medical marijuana dispensary opened in Orlando with legal permission to treat patients listed in the Compassionate Use Registry.
That same month, Florida congressmen approved the implementation of medical marijuana for patients with cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma and AIDS, among other diseases, and regulated the operation of drug dispensaries.
The law added ten new licenses to the seven already existing for another law, which authorized in 2014 the therapeutic use of medicinal marijuana, low in THC, the main psychoactive ingredient of this drug, especially for children suffering from epilepsy.
The new law allows the Centers for Medical Treatment with Marijuana (MMTC) up to 25 dispensaries, and operate another five additional facilities per 100,000 active patients in the registry of medicinal marijuana use.
