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   Discussion on Medical Marijuana

   discussed

   Staff presented a comprehensive overview of Florida's medical marijuana laws (Amendment 2, Charlotte's Web, Right to Try Act) and pending state legislation (SB 406, HB 1397), described tours of dispensaries in Clearwater and Hillsborough County, reviewed current city zoning treatment of marijuana as a restricted personal service use with 500-foot buffers, and surveyed how other regional cities are regulating dispensaries. Council discussed framework questions for future ordinances during the moratorium period; no formal action was taken.

   📍Grand and Gulf📍Massachusetts and Congress📍Southgate📍US 19 corridor🏢Florida Department of Health🏢Schwettman🏢Sorterra🏢TruLeave🏢TruLeave👤Chris Metler👤Garen Angel👤Gary Stein👤Lisa Fierce👤Ms. Manz#Amendment 2#C2 zoning district#Charlotte's Web law#Compassionate Use Registry#Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative#HC (Highway Commercial) zoning district#House Bill 1397#Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTC)#Restricted Personal Service Uses#Right to Try Act#Senate Bill 406#Six-month moratorium on medical marijuana uses

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   [00:00:21] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [00:00:37] Thank you, you may be seated. [00:00:38] We're going to do this as informally as we can since there doesn't seem to be a huge crowd here tonight. [00:00:50] We're going to start with a presentation by staff and then presenters both in favor and not supportive come forward. [00:01:04] I have been told that two of the supporters, Garen Angel and Gary Stein, are somewhere between Tallahassee and here so we'll try to let them catch up when they get here. [00:01:16] Ms. Manz? [00:01:18] Sure, Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council, as you already know, the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, also commonly known as Amendment 2, [00:01:30] was on the November 8, 2016 ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment and it was approved. [00:01:40] A yes vote supported legalizing medical marijuana for individuals with specific debilitating diseases or comparable debilitating conditions as determined by a licensed state physician. [00:01:56] Amendment 2 was also designed to require the Department of Health to regulate marijuana production and distribution centers and issue identification cards to patients and caregivers. [00:02:10] The Florida Constitution provides that unless otherwise specified, approved amendments become effective on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the election. [00:02:22] As Amendment 2 did not provide specific effective dates, it went into effect then on January 3, 2017. [00:02:31] Amendment 2 required the Florida Department of Health to set regulations for the issuance of cards, qualifications of standards of caregivers, [00:02:42] and rules for the registration of medical marijuana treatment centers within six months of the effective date and quite obviously that has not occurred yet. [00:02:54] That being said, the purpose and intent of the discussion tonight is to establish the framework by which you will make future decisions as it relates to ordinances that will regulate medical cannabis dispensaries and facilities. [00:03:16] The ordinances which will be prepared for you in the future are intended to regulate the sale and dispensing of medical cannabis to ensure a supply of medical cannabis to patients who are qualified to use and possess cannabis for medical use pursuant to Florida law while promoting compliance with other state laws which regulate cannabis. [00:03:42] What the staff has done today is we have prepared a PowerPoint presentation that we would like to show you which will bring you up to date on what we have done so far. [00:03:58] It will also identify code amendment issues that will need to be addressed and then we will close by indicating what we have left to do in order to comply with the terms of the moratorium that you established earlier this year so that we have our ordinances in place in due time. [00:04:24] With that, I would like to turn it over to Mrs. Fierce for the PowerPoint presentation. [00:04:29] So we are going to start with where we are currently with respect to marijuana in Florida and the law. [00:04:39] You probably have seen this list over the course of the last couple of years so you know that there is some history with respect to the law. [00:04:48] A limited form of medical marijuana has been legal in Florida since 2014 and that law was referred to as Charlotte's Web law. [00:04:57] In that law, physicians were able to prescribe strains of the drug low in THC for some patients who are Florida residents who suffer from cancer or other physical medical conditions that chronically produce seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms and have no acceptable alternative treatment options available to them. [00:05:18] That law also provided physicians must have an eight hour course and examination completed and must retake and pass the course and examination upon license renewal. [00:05:32] It required that the Department of Health create a compassionate use registry for physicians and patients which must be secure online and be able to be accessed by physicians, law enforcement agencies, and by dispensing organizations. [00:05:49] They must also record any low THC cannabis that is dispensed and physicians must update the registry in order to reflect the contents and deactivate any patient registration when treatment is discontinued. [00:06:06] In 2015, the Right to Try Act was adopted in Florida which allows terminally ill patients to have access to investigational treatments that have passed basic safety testing but are not available in pharmacies. [00:06:22] In 2016, it expanded that act and allows a full strength use of medical marijuana for terminally ill patients. [00:06:35] And as we all know what happened last year which was Amendment 2 which passed which allows for the greater use of medical marijuana with those with debilitating medical conditions. [00:06:46] The Department of Health is currently working on the regulations there to be in place by July 3rd. [00:06:54] They were to have by October 3rd issuance of ID cards for patients and registering medical marijuana treatment centers as well. [00:07:03] I think both of those have already started. [00:07:06] Right now the legislature is in session and there's two bills that are being debated. [00:07:12] Senate Bill 406 would allow government to regulate land use and determine the number and location of medical marijuana dispensaries. [00:07:23] It would preempt the cultivation and processing activities to the state. [00:07:29] It would rename dispensaries as medical marijuana treatment centers. [00:07:35] And it would require additional dispensary licenses based on the number of patients that are in the use registry. [00:07:43] This one went to the Senate Appropriations Committee today. I don't know the outcome to report that. [00:07:49] The other bill is in the House. It's House Bill 1397. [00:07:54] It would allow more treatment centers with more patients enrolled in the use registry. [00:08:00] It would prohibit smoking and edibles forms of marijuana. [00:08:04] It would preempt the government from regulating cultivation, processing, and delivery, [00:08:09] but would allow cities to determine the number and location of dispensaries, [00:08:13] and would also allow cities to charge a permit fee that's less than or equal to what we would charge for pharmacies. [00:08:21] Hopefully some determination will be made about both of those as the session is scheduled to end by the end of next week. [00:08:30] As you peruse the literature that we have forwarded to you, [00:08:35] you will note some interesting terminology relative to marijuana. [00:08:40] And I'm not going to read them all, but I just want to kind of highlight a few of those, [00:08:44] and hopefully I'll read them correctly. [00:08:47] One of them is cannabinoid, which is a component found in the marijuana plant. [00:08:55] The other is cannabidiol, which is a subclass of the cannabinoid. [00:09:02] We know that MMTC stands for Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers. [00:09:07] And the other key phrase is THC, which is tetrahydrocannabinol, [00:09:14] which is the primary agent for that high feeling you get when you use marijuana. [00:09:21] Most of the literature talks about THC versus CBD and what they do. [00:09:28] Again, THC produces the psychoactive high, [00:09:32] and the CBD is the ingredient that has the analgesic or anti-seizure effect. [00:09:42] So the process to obtain marijuana in Florida for a patient [00:09:48] would be to schedule an appointment with a physician, [00:09:52] and the physician would have had to have completed the training required. [00:09:56] The patient must be established with a physician for three months at a minimum [00:10:05] to be considered for treatment. [00:10:07] The physician would enter the personal information for the patient [00:10:11] and the dosage recommendation into the Compassionate Use Registry. [00:10:14] The participation in the use registry is mandatory, [00:10:20] and it requires a patient to obtain a medical ID. [00:10:24] Either the patient or a patient's legal representative [00:10:29] can apply to the Department of Health for this registry and getting the ID. [00:10:35] You have to provide either a driver's license or another form of Florida ID. [00:10:40] There's a $75 fee, and it includes a color photograph of the person [00:10:46] that must be within 90 days of the application. [00:10:50] Physicians are limited to ordering no more than a 45-day supply [00:10:55] of low THC or medical cannabis, and that cannot be sold, gifted, [00:11:01] or otherwise transferred to anyone other than the qualified patient [00:11:05] or their legal representative. [00:11:06] And the patient can fill the order at any of the dispensaries that are in the state. [00:11:11] The products that are available would be determined, [00:11:17] or they're shown on the screen, and the doctor will decide [00:11:20] which of these delivery methods is appropriate for the patient, [00:11:23] of course, as well as the dosage. [00:11:26] You'll note that smoking is not one of those offered. [00:11:30] There are seven approved dispensing organizations within Florida, [00:11:36] and this shows you where the growing and processing locations are. [00:11:42] It does not show the dispensary locations. [00:11:45] Six of the seven have received authorization and can deliver statewide. [00:11:52] Marijuana cannot be mailed. [00:11:54] Staff visit three of the dispensaries in the region. [00:11:58] Two are owned by TruLeave, and one is owned by Sorterra. [00:12:02] The Department of Health is required to maintain a tracking system [00:12:06] that traces the low THC cannabis and the medical cannabis from seed to sale. [00:12:13] And the tracking system includes notification of key events, [00:12:17] including when cannabis seeds are planted, [00:12:19] when cannabis plants are harvested and destroyed, [00:12:22] and when cannabis is transported, sold, stolen, diverted, or lost. [00:12:28] Dispensaries cannot dispense cannabis or cannabis delivery devices [00:12:33] between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., [00:12:37] but they can do anything else in their operation, [00:12:40] and they can deliver cannabis to patients 24 hours a day. [00:12:44] So Chris Metler and I took a tour of the dispensaries, [00:12:47] and so Chris Metler and I took a tour of a couple facilities. [00:12:51] The first one is TruLeave, and this is in Clearwater. [00:12:57] This site is off of US 19, and it just opened last year. [00:13:01] We went on a Friday morning. [00:13:03] They opened at 10, and we got there slightly early [00:13:06] so we could kind of take a look at what happens in the parking lot, [00:13:10] and we noticed a couple folks waiting for the facility to open. [00:13:14] It was a fairly full parking lot that morning, [00:13:17] and this is within kind of an office complex, [00:13:20] so there's other uses in the vicinity. [00:13:23] It is open every day of the week except for major holidays. [00:13:28] We thought it was interesting that when you walked into the building, [00:13:32] they have an ATM in the hallway that leads to the dispensary. [00:13:36] They accept cash and debit cards for payment. [00:13:40] Once you actually get into the lobby, which is not this picture, [00:13:44] I apologize, we could not get a picture of the lobby [00:13:47] because there were a couple folks that were in the lobby, [00:13:50] and we're not allowed to photograph them, [00:13:52] but once you get into the lobby, there's a check-in counter [00:13:55] where someone from the company will verify that the patient is registered [00:13:59] and has the access to the marijuana. [00:14:02] Once that is determined, then you have access to the dispensary, [00:14:06] which is in this photograph here. [00:14:08] We were escorted into the room. [00:14:10] I assume the patients are as well. [00:14:13] I thought this was akin to like a cosmetics counter [00:14:15] that you might see at a large department store. [00:14:18] There's several terminals and all the product is either under glass [00:14:22] or behind the desk there, [00:14:26] so you can't pick out your own products on your own. [00:14:33] The medical marijuana here is available in oils, drops, tinctures, sprays, [00:14:40] and the prices, we were not allowed to photograph the prices, [00:14:43] but they range somewhere between $30 to $300 for the 45-day supply, [00:14:49] and they are set by the business. [00:14:52] We also visited the True Leave dispensary [00:14:55] that's in unincorporated Hillsborough County. [00:14:58] This one is in the Carrollwood neighborhood. [00:15:00] on Northdale Mabry, and it opened in January prior to Hillsborough County [00:15:06] approving a six-month moratorium on new locations. It's pretty clear it's well [00:15:12] identified by signage. It has the same business hours as the one in Clearwater. [00:15:17] It has a lobby which is slightly different, but once inside the dispensary [00:15:23] is much like the Clearwater one as well. We also visited the Sorterra dispensary [00:15:31] which is in this case on East Fowler Avenue, also in unincorporated [00:15:36] Hillsborough County. This is near the USF campus. This one's in a commercial [00:15:42] shopping center and the circle, the red circle on the sign shows the [00:15:47] identification of Sorterra on the ground sign. Once you get into the parking lot [00:15:52] you'll see that they have a wall sign as well, and there's a mix of other types [00:15:56] of commercial uses in this shopping center. When you get in the front door of [00:16:02] Sorterra, part of the location is meant to look like a kitchen, which it really [00:16:09] does. It's a very nice kitchen, and then it's open Monday through Saturday, so it's [00:16:16] not open on Sunday. On the other side of the facility is where the product is [00:16:21] kept. They also have private rooms so you can have a private consultation with [00:16:27] the employees there about your needs. So in looking again at what [00:16:35] marijuana standards we have currently in the city, the city made allowances for [00:16:43] dispensing and processing and cultivation of marijuana in the [00:16:47] highway commercial zoning district as well as the C2 zoning district a few [00:16:53] years ago. We put it together with uses called restricted personal service uses [00:16:59] and we required that there is a five foot separation from other restricted [00:17:05] personal service uses. 500 feet is required to separate a dispensing, [00:17:24] processing, or cultivation of marijuana use from other uses including the plasma [00:17:31] centers, the body piercing, the check cashing, the day labor, the pawn shops, [00:17:36] tattoo parlors. Also we included 500 foot separation from daycares, places of [00:17:43] worship, public parks, libraries, rec centers, schools, and adult uses. Lisa, just [00:17:49] for the audience, can you please clarify HC district and C2 district? Highway commercial is HC [00:17:53] district? That would be the US 19 corridor. That's correct, and the C2 district, which [00:17:57] is a general commercial district, is at the more busy intersections of the city, [00:18:04] Massachusetts and Congress, Grand and Gulf. Southgate? Southgate's highway commercial, [00:18:13] so it's all along the US 19 corridor. What about across the street? Okay, that'd be commercial. Highway 19. [00:18:19] Yeah, right. So right now we're not allowing it in the Main Street downtown area then? [00:18:23] Correct. That's right. And the 500 separation, it dovetails into how we [00:18:30] approached alcohol and also adult use. That's right, and so this map, I apologize, we [00:18:38] don't have a more current version. Well, we did, but our technology was failing [00:18:44] us today, so I just chose not to use a really horrible map. I chose to use this [00:18:48] one instead. This shows the map that was included in the discussion when we [00:18:53] adopted the restricted personal service uses. I have to put my glasses on for this. [00:18:57] So the red marks, I'm going to use the pointer on this, the red marks that are [00:19:07] here and here and here and here, those represent the actual restricted personal [00:19:11] service uses, and we have shown the 500-foot buffer with the blue circle [00:19:17] around them. The yellow marks... So just to be clear people, the orange indicates [00:19:24] those other restrictive uses that were in that ordinance or in... That's right, they're either the tattoo parlors or the body piercing or the check cashing, those uses. We [00:19:36] currently don't have any marijuana uses in the city, but so what we're showing is [00:19:42] the 500-foot buffer around those, and then we're also showing in yellow the [00:19:48] uses that were meant to be buffered from those restricted personal uses. So the [00:19:53] yellow would be either a park or the library or a school or a daycare or [00:19:59] those uses that are meant to be separated also from those restricted [00:20:03] personal uses. So right now with the moratorium we voted on six months ago, whenever it was, we [00:20:07] have marijuana in the same category, marijuana dispensers, same category as the [00:20:11] tattoo parlors, which I didn't think was a big deal at the time, but I went along [00:20:15] to vote. Blood plasma, donation centers, check cashing, but it's not a [00:20:20] permanent thing, it's just currently included in that temporary moratorium, [00:20:25] correct? So the use of marijuana in the city or the cultivation, the growing, or [00:20:31] the dispensing is currently listed as a restricted personal service [00:20:35] use, just like tattoo parlors, just like body piercing, just like check cashing. [00:20:40] It's already permitted in the city, but with limitations with the buffering. I thought, [00:20:44] I'm sorry to interrupt you, I thought when we when we voted on that it was a [00:20:47] one-year moratorium. Well what you just voted on recently was a moratorium so [00:20:52] that we're not going to be approving any of those types of uses in the city until [00:20:56] we get through this moratorium period. We thought we, because of Amendment 2 and [00:21:00] because we're waiting on the state to come up with some regulations, we thought [00:21:03] we would impose a moratorium so we could kind of take a look at what the state is [00:21:07] doing to make sure that our regulations are in keeping with what the state is [00:21:11] doing. So we're still in that waiting mode trying to figure out what the state [00:21:15] is going to do, and then we will go back and introduce a new ordinance that just... [00:21:21] So bottom line, nothing's set in stone at this point, correct? Correct. Thank you. [00:21:26] At what point was this marijuana put into that category? When was that done? [00:21:30] At the same time we had restricted personal service uses, which is maybe [00:21:34] within the last two years. It was a year and a half ago. Right. I mean we included it in that [00:21:38] because we knew it was on the ballot, so we tried to be proactive with that. We've [00:21:43] obviously also shown that we're going to keep it restrictive just like we've [00:21:47] looked at at alcohol and other elements like that, and we already gave it specific [00:21:52] zones eventually that it could be, that dispensing areas could be placed at some [00:21:59] point. Now we're just waiting for the, in a lot of ways, waiting for the state to [00:22:03] finish up their circus. Right, but like for instance you mentioned [00:22:10] Granville, Oregon Gulf, we have Schwetman right there, so that'd be 50 yards from [00:22:13] Schwetman. 500 feet from Schwetman. Yeah, there's going to be areas that are just going to be not [00:22:19] available because of the separation requirement. We tried to work on that map [00:22:25] today, but our technology just failed us. Yeah, I mean, you know, some of the questions that were [00:22:30] asked recently, you know, and really what's going to highlight some things [00:22:35] down the road is when you're able to put those areas, show the key [00:22:42] distances in the areas that it would be allowed in, which is going to allow us [00:22:47] once we get additional information on where you can place those, and at some [00:22:56] point, you know, at the moratorium time or after, as our ordinances come out. So [00:23:04] we also want to tell you that we've been looking at what other cities in the [00:23:08] region are doing, and we all kind of look at each other at the same [00:23:12] time. So we looked at, you know, Clearwater, Dade City, Dunedin, all the [00:23:17] counties, Safety Harbor, St. Pete, Tampa, Tarpon, and Zephyr Hills, and there's kind [00:23:22] of a mix of what the allowances are. For the most part, most of them had, with [00:23:27] that, with the exception of, you know, St. Petersburg, most of them have enacted a [00:23:30] moratorium. Some have allowed the marijuana by right in commercial [00:23:38] districts. For example, Clearwater, where we went to visit the true leave on 19, [00:23:41] it's a permitted use by right. Others, like Hillsborough County, they require a [00:23:49] separation of 750 feet from schools and parks and other dispensaries and alcohol [00:23:55] establishments. Pasco County adopted theirs a few months ago, and they only [00:24:00] are allowing two in the county as a whole, and they are treating those as a [00:24:05] conditional use in the industrial park zone. I just, I mean, I don't agree with [00:24:09] the county on that one, to be honest, with industrial use, but the dispensaries, I [00:24:13] saw they look like very professional businesses. To put those in industrial [00:24:16] areas, I just hope we don't go that route here in the city. Everyone kind of has [00:24:21] their own way of going, and so we wanted to take a look at them. We, I think we did [00:24:25] get the Hillsborough County ordinance and the Tarpon ordinance, which I believe [00:24:29] were shared with you yesterday. As we get more information, we'll be [00:24:34] gathering that as well from the other ones. Today, Pinellas County was having [00:24:38] their second hearing of their ordinance. They are allowing it in their, one of [00:24:43] their commercial districts by right, and another one as a special exception. I [00:24:48] don't know the distinctions of their zoning, so I don't know why they did that, [00:24:51] but so the issues that we really want to focus on in the city, however, are kind of [00:24:58] related to the questions on the slide. I guess they involve, you know, do we, aside [00:25:07] from what the state says, you know, are we, do we want to allow the growth [00:25:12] facilities and the processing facilities and the dispensaries? Do we have preferred [00:25:16] locations besides how we're already treating it? Do we want to continue to [00:25:21] allow it by right, or do you want to entertain having a public hearing as [00:25:25] maybe a conditional use? Before you jump further, in that statement, could [00:25:33] you identify the first part of it and the second part? Because somebody's going [00:25:39] to come up and ask that question, and if we can kind of go through that process, [00:25:44] because some people think it's restrictive on one side, and you do a [00:25:48] public hearing on the other, so if you could just define what the conditional [00:25:52] and the public hearing aspect is. Allowing something by right would mean that when you look in [00:25:57] the zoning code, it's a permitted use, so you don't have to go through any [00:26:01] specific hearing or any other process. You can come and get a [00:26:08] building permit for it, or you can get your site plan approved. If you treated it as a [00:26:12] conditional use, there would be a public hearing required, either by City Council [00:26:17] or by the Land Development Review Board, and there would be specific criteria [00:26:21] that would have to be addressed as part of the application process. And a lot of [00:26:25] those deal with making sure that, you know, negative impacts are mitigated [00:26:30] specifically, or that it's, you know, meeting some specific goal of the [00:26:36] comprehensive plan. So that's kind of the question you have to ask. Do we [00:26:40] want to continue to allow it by right, as you're doing now, with a separation, or do [00:26:44] you want to maybe entertain having it go through a public hearing process? Do you [00:26:47] always want to see them come through you, for example, so you guys get to [00:26:52] ask questions of the business owner? Do you want to maintain the [00:26:58] separation that we have included in the code currently? Do you want to separate [00:27:02] them from churches, schools, daycares, alcohol sales, and adult use? Do you want [00:27:09] to have different hours of operation for the dispensaries beyond what the [00:27:14] state allows? If we were to allow a grow or processing facility, you know, I don't [00:27:20] know what it's going to smell like, but maybe you want to ensure that there's [00:27:24] some mitigation for the odor. The other thing to think about is, there's going to [00:27:28] be businesses that are going to open that deal with, you know, the delivery [00:27:34] device, which is, you know, the product that you use to maybe use to vaporize the [00:27:38] marijuana. You know, we used to call them head shops back in the day, but I don't [00:27:44] know what we're calling them nowadays. But there's going to be businesses that [00:27:47] open up that are related to marijuana, but they don't actually sell the [00:27:52] marijuana. The dispensaries you went to, did they have those devices for sale, or [00:27:56] just the product? They did. They had them for sale. Okay. I'm just wondering if there's going to be a [00:28:00] business that opens up just to sell the device and not the marijuana. Do you want [00:28:04] to regulate that? I don't understand how we could, how we could regulate somebody [00:28:12] selling stuff. Because they're going to package the product. Is that correct? Is that the... [00:28:20] It's pretty minute when you start... Well, for example, in the [00:28:24] downtown, anything related to that kind of use is prohibited. So you couldn't [00:28:31] currently do that downtown. Any kind of, we call it drug paraphernalia in the code for [00:28:34] downtown, it's strictly prohibited. Do you want... Right, but I'm just saying... Okay. I mean, you said [00:28:40] earlier, correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't smoke it as far as how the state [00:28:44] is allowing it to be distributed. So you don't have to worry about glass pipes, things like [00:28:48] that, bongs, all that. You're talking about vapors. They sell them right there at the [00:28:51] dispensary. So, I mean, I don't see the need for head shops next door to a [00:28:54] dispensary. Correct? Right, and I'm just bringing it up as a potential issue to address. I'm not, I'm not [00:29:00] saying, I'm not passing judgment on it. I'm just saying it's something to consider. For safety... You missed your last two, because some [00:29:11] people are going to spend some time tonight talking about what-ifs. Okay. You [00:29:16] know, what happens next year if they put, they put, you know, recreational passes [00:29:22] and it's legalized. My feeling is you deal with it. We understand it may [00:29:28] happen, but at the same token, I want to make sure that everybody here knows that [00:29:34] we're not turning a blind's eye to it, not saying, oh, that that's never going to [00:29:39] happen, because we've seen other places in the country. So, yeah, we know [00:29:45] that that may be, may happen. So I just want to make people aware that we're [00:29:50] just not sitting up here going, yeah, we we have this, we don't ever think the [00:29:55] other is going to happen. I thought that was why your point was there. [00:30:00] that this is not in any way, you know, discussing recreational because it's not [00:30:05] legalized and we would have to obviously address it with a whole different set of [00:30:10] criteria if it were to be legalized. So it's not even really under consideration. [00:30:14] So we just threw that up as a kind of a disclaimer. Safety wise, you know, there [00:30:24] could be issues relative to the fact that, you know, these are basically cash [00:30:29] types of businesses. Are the locations secure? Are the employees secure? Are the [00:30:33] deliveries secure? Will there be some synthetic cannabinoids? Will there be [00:30:39] people that try to grow things illegally? Employers have to now deal with how it [00:30:45] relates to their policy on drug-free workplace. And in terms of building [00:30:49] building and fire regulations, you know, if we did have the indoor grow facility, [00:30:54] you know, what type of fire regulations would we need to address? As we go [00:30:57] forward, I want to make sure that we stay in tune when you've talked about [00:31:03] being a cash business because there was some reference in some of the [00:31:08] documentation that we've, that's there, that there are some small banks and some [00:31:14] other places that are beginning to allow bank accounts. So, and you mentioned that [00:31:19] a couple places you went into, yeah, well they had their debit cards or they had... [00:31:25] The ATM machine was right there. Yeah. Some did have a PayPal account you could sign up for as well. [00:31:29] Okay, so I just want to make sure because that impacts the overall process of the [00:31:34] business. Am I correct that Visa and MasterCard typically are not allowing [00:31:40] use of their credit cards? It's cash. That was my, that was my recollection is they didn't take [00:31:46] credit cards. Were you, when you went to these places, were they aware that [00:31:52] why you were there and where you're from? I called ahead of time. Okay. So what was the purpose by not accepting credit cards, did they say? Visa, MasterCard are [00:32:04] refusing to allow it. They're going to pay a federal fee, so they're not... I'm sure it affects their business. That's, I know that [00:32:18] because that's the business I'm in. It's many the same reasons why some of the major pharmacies haven't designed... [00:32:24] Take it one step further, if you're, if you're in Colorado, take it one step further, if you're in Colorado and you take an airplane from Colorado Springs to Denver and you have marijuana on you, even go through TCA, they'll allow you to carry it because your airplanes stay in the state, but if your airplanes leave in the state, then they'll take your marijuana. [00:32:42] So I wanted to kind of end this part of the discussion with what we think the next steps are going to be. Counsel, you were, you were going to have a second work session prior to the enactment of any ordinance you passed, and so we were suggesting that perhaps on a Wednesday on the 31st of May would be a tentative date that you would consider in order to get an ordinance adopted before the expiration of the moratorium. [00:33:10] We were proposing that we would take any ordinance to the Land Development Review Board in June, which would be a June 22nd meeting, and then we'd have the month of July to have the two readings with City Council. You'd still have a little buffer until the moratorium expires, which is the 21st of August. [00:33:31] From your research, do you have a feeling if the state's going to get their work done? I know that's the big question. I mean, because it looks like they're kicking three or four things down the road for another special session. [00:33:46] We obviously want to make sure we stay on track, but also be aware of what they may be planning, because obviously it'll make us tweak our final, once we get to the moratorium settings. [00:34:02] I don't have a big guess on that. We're following it as closely as we can. My suggestion would be with July 4th, I'm not sure that it makes good sense for us to do July 5th. I don't think I'm going to be here. [00:34:19] July 18th could be a first reading, and then the first meeting in August. [00:34:22] Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. [00:34:23] Yeah, I agree with that. I won't be a teller. [00:34:25] Good reasons. [00:34:27] Yeah. [00:34:30] We do want to stay with inside the moratorium dates. I don't want anybody in here saying that we're kicking it down, because everybody will try to read the tea leaves on everything. [00:34:40] I think we've been pretty on point about what we were doing. I want to thank staff before we start this, because a lot of people out here were second guessing everything that was going on. [00:34:56] What are they doing? We haven't heard from anybody. We all have day jobs to go along with everything else, and this is something that's been put in place, and we are going to address it. [00:35:09] Overall, I appreciate the amount of work you've done to this point, the timeline, everything else. If some people don't like it, we all have a number of other things. [00:35:23] Fitting inside of all this, for people's knowledge, we've got budgets we're going to start coming up against, and we've probably got one or two other major items on our agenda, but we wanted to be conscious of this being separate from other activities. [00:35:39] I wanted to say that when we put the agendas together with the presentations, we try to balance it, because there's obviously people that are in support, there's folks that are not in support, and then there's just some folks that are neutral on the subject. [00:35:50] We tried to include the balance of those interests. As you had mentioned earlier, Mayor, the supportive folks, which may have changed since we started this meeting, some may be late, so they had asked to be put toward the end, and then some that were not supportive, the lady from the Drug Free America said she was not attending, but she sent two handouts, which I guess she got yesterday. [00:36:15] There's been a good bit of paperwork that's been submitted. You have a lot of it. You got another binder clip of information on the dais tonight that we just got. I guess I thought there was going to be more PowerPoints, and there were handouts, but that's the way it goes. There is someone, maybe two here tonight, that also want to show PowerPoints, and we said it was going to be up to the Mayor to decide. [00:36:36] I think we can be flexible on that. [00:36:38] Mayor, if I may, Ms. Pierce, I'm going to agree with what Councilman Phillips said. You guys did a lot of research and took a field trip. I love the visuals you give us on the dispensaries, both inside and outside. I've been meaning to get down on one in Clearwater. It's the closest one, and I believe I just have a tight schedule. You did that for me, and the information that you presented today and sent to us was very, very helpful, so thank you for all you've done. [00:37:00] I'd like to say, to back up Bill, I have a real job, and I'm going to have to leave in about five minutes. Thank you for your presentation. This is going to be taped. My phone number, for those in the audience, is on the website, on the City's website, if you'd like to get a hold of me, and I will be reviewing the rest of this tonight. [00:37:20] Thank you. Is that conclude, sir? [00:37:22] Yes, thank you. [00:37:23] Is Garen Angel here? You would be first up if you would come on down. [00:37:30] The first contestant? [00:37:31] First contestant. [00:37:33] Come on down. [00:37:34] I understand you and Gary had to blow in from Tallahassee. I'm glad you were able to make it. [00:37:39] Yeah, thanks for having me, and it's an honor to be here to speak to the council about this subject matter. I'm a global thought leader on cannabis. I travel the world educating both politicians and physicians on cannabinoids and why they're important, a dietary essential, and what's next in healthcare. [00:37:58] We're part-time politicians, just so you know. [00:38:01] I'm sorry? [00:38:02] Yeah. [00:38:03] We're citizen-involved, part-time. I don't want you to get the impression. [00:38:08] In my experience in doing this, it's been the same. You have a responsibility to the constituents to make wise decisions, and I just want to shed some light on cannabis, where it's going. [00:38:26] I would invite all of you, I know you've been to dispensaries. That's wonderful to see the application in process. [00:38:33] It's also somewhat rear-view looking because cannabis is much further than what is available at the seven dispensaries that are licensed in the state of Florida. [00:38:43] This Friday, we're doing a symposium in concert with the University of South Florida's Department of Pharmacy. [00:38:51] We're bringing in somebody from the Ministry of Health, the person that runs the cannabis program for Israel, which is the largest, most sophisticated medical cannabis program on the planet. [00:39:03] That minister will be here at Tampa at the University of South Florida. [00:39:08] We're also bringing in, I don't know what you know about nanoscience, but nanotechnology and nanoscience is the future of everything that we consume. [00:39:18] There's a gentleman named Nissim Gardi. He's on the Nobel Prize Selection Committee. [00:39:22] He will also be there this Friday at USF. [00:39:26] Another amazing scientist named Mark Rosenfeld, who's an incredible biochemist. [00:39:33] This is a team that I've been a part of in concert with the University of South Florida. [00:39:39] I was a USF alumni, former mascot for USF, Rocky the Bull. [00:39:46] I want to bring them the world's best science. [00:39:49] I've traveled the world. [00:39:50] I've been that leading proprietor who's missed soccer games and birthdays and anniversaries because I've been on the road, [00:39:57] because I believe this is in the best interest of public health. [00:40:00] Now, we've assembled an output here domestically, not just domestically, but here locally in Tampa, [00:40:08] that you can attend and learn much more about cannabis in a four-hour period than 99.9% of the world. [00:40:15] That is going to go from 8.30 to 12.30 at USF in the Patel Center. [00:40:20] And if you really want to get to where this is going, I know we look at this like, [00:40:26] oh, let's treat it as alcohol and put it by tattoo parlors and all the rest of this. [00:40:30] When we talk about Walgreens and CVS, is your thought process, let's put these by tattoo parlors and liquor shops? [00:40:38] Probably not. [00:40:39] But when you really look at where this is going as a solution for public health, don't relegate it to your cheapest neighborhoods. [00:40:48] You're not doing a service to your community, and I'm not here to lecture you on it. [00:40:52] I'm just here to be a visionary and give you light on where we are, where we're headed as a society, [00:40:58] and why it's important that we treat this the right way. [00:41:01] What we want to do is create an epicenter. [00:41:04] If you really want to treat your constituents in the best manner, you give them the best access to health care. [00:41:10] I've learned something in life, and I learned it through cannabis. [00:41:14] I started working with ministers of health, and I understood real quickly that the minister of health had an answer to the ministry of finance. [00:41:22] Well, any time you put money over health care, you're probably going to have an inverted relationship. [00:41:28] And that's what we have, is we have a society where I think we can all agree where health care has run away, [00:41:34] and it's consuming too much of everybody's budgets from a state and government level all the way to the personal household. [00:41:42] And the only way we can rectify this situation is plant-based medicine. [00:41:46] Cannabis is step one in this. [00:41:49] What we realize in this process of discovery is that all medicines that are formulated by pharmaceutical companies are simply a plant, [00:41:58] an herb, or an extract that have been synthesized or extracted into a drug delivery mechanism that we call a pill, and then we take. [00:42:07] That's great, but it's inefficient, and it's expensive. [00:42:10] It's similar to a taxi and Uber. [00:42:14] We want to be a Silicon Valley of health care and be a thought leader on this subject matter. [00:42:20] In order to do so, we need to set up the right regulatory and legislative framework to encourage that investment into our community. [00:42:28] That's what I'm here to do. [00:42:29] I'd love to be a voice for you. [00:42:33] I can connect you to anybody you'd like to speak to at the highest level on this subject. [00:42:39] And educate yourselves, because this is the future. [00:42:42] And I know that we've always kind of, as cities, taken an undertow to Tampa or Clearwater or St. Pete. [00:42:51] I'm not that guy. [00:42:53] I'm a global thought leader, and I will never sit in the back of the bus. [00:42:57] I want to be driving it. [00:42:59] And I hope that as a council, that's what we can come together and do. [00:43:03] Let's be bus drivers and get a bunch of people on board and create a new industry and enterprise and job and opportunity, [00:43:09] because if you ask the chief what the problem is here, it's drugs. [00:43:14] And what's the problem behind drugs? [00:43:16] It's the people that deal them and take them have no opportunity. [00:43:20] Let's create an environment and an ecosystem that has industry, and we've got a chance right now. [00:43:29] That's what you've been elected to do, is to give your constituents a chance. [00:43:34] There's a chance right now. [00:43:36] You're sitting in front of a global thought leader on cannabis. [00:43:41] Okay, I'll say it like it is. [00:43:45] I've somewhat directed the show of cannabis from Portagee, Florida, [00:43:49] working with the most elite minds in the world and bringing them together on a common goal towards public health. [00:43:56] And you've got it in your backyard. [00:43:58] It's what you do with it. [00:43:59] Do you build a playground with it and say, look, we want to explore what this can become [00:44:03] and let scientists be scientists and have discovery? [00:44:07] Or do you want to put it in a little box in a corner by a liquor store and a tattoo shop [00:44:11] and have a really shitty industry that has no chance of success, [00:44:16] and we just continue to be fraught with drug problems and lack of employment and opportunity? [00:44:22] That's not the city for me. [00:44:24] I know you're visionaries. [00:44:25] I know a lot of you personally. [00:44:26] I've hung out with you guys for many years. [00:44:28] We're friends, and I know you're big-time thinkers. [00:44:31] And that's all I ask is that we think about this big time. [00:44:34] If you ask the chief dead on how big of a problem cannabis is in relation to any other drug or alcohol that's available, [00:44:42] I think he would say that this is on the lower end, closer to coffee than a methamphetamine, [00:44:48] yet the federal government hasn't fixed that funnel yet. [00:44:52] And so we have a chance to get ahead of it. [00:44:55] I'll take your questions. [00:44:57] I'm a wealth of knowledge. [00:45:00] subject, anything you have, throw at me. [00:45:02] I'm here to answer your questions. [00:45:04] Rob, I mean, you and I have worked together [00:45:06] since back in the days of your internet company [00:45:09] and I was a computer geek back then [00:45:11] and now a cannabis enthusiast, [00:45:13] but it's been fun watching you develop [00:45:17] and I've done the same. [00:45:19] Questions? [00:45:22] We may want you back before this is over, [00:45:24] so don't go away. [00:45:25] Okay, wonderful. [00:45:26] Thank you. [00:45:27] Gillian Latham. [00:45:30] Thank you. [00:45:31] Thank you, thank you. [00:45:35] Mr. Mayor, Ms. Latham was unable to attend tonight. [00:45:37] She is in Tallahassee right now. [00:45:40] Oh, okay, how about Gary Stine? [00:45:43] On his way, still. [00:45:46] Working our way down the list, [00:45:47] Christina Roberto and Kent Runyon? [00:45:55] Come on down. [00:46:00] I'm not Christina Roberto or Kent Runyon. [00:46:03] I am Monica Russo, we spoke earlier. [00:46:06] I have been super sick in the last week, [00:46:09] so I didn't have a voice until today, [00:46:10] but I coordinate the Alliance [00:46:12] for Substance Abuse Prevention. [00:46:14] As such, we have been a coalition [00:46:16] for the last 10 years in Pasco County, Florida. [00:46:19] We are composed of hundreds of members [00:46:21] from law enforcement, parents, teachers, [00:46:24] business owners, health professionals, [00:46:27] just a wide variety of sectors, [00:46:28] and our job is to provide education [00:46:30] to the community on issues that they see as very important. [00:46:34] So in the past, we have worked [00:46:36] to tackle the pill mill epidemic, [00:46:38] we've tackled the spice epidemic, [00:46:40] we've been very clever in helping [00:46:44] the Pasco Sheriff's Office craft [00:46:46] the moratoriums that were made. [00:46:48] So our specialty is in getting diverse stakeholders together [00:46:53] to discuss the complex issues of addiction, [00:46:55] substance use disorders in Pasco County, [00:46:58] and to strategize that, [00:47:00] and strategize how to best tackle that. [00:47:03] We do a pretty good job. [00:47:05] Excuse me, I'm sorry, [00:47:05] could you just tell us your name again, please? [00:47:07] Monica Russo. [00:47:08] Thank you. [00:47:10] So we first created the Marijuana Task Force [00:47:12] a few years ago, and we saw many students [00:47:15] reporting that they were driving [00:47:17] while intoxicated on marijuana. [00:47:19] So we have done what we always do, [00:47:22] and we review different policies [00:47:23] from around the states, in the United States. [00:47:27] So we wanna emphasize, [00:47:28] because there was some miscommunication [00:47:30] or misunderstanding of our role, [00:47:32] we are always here as an educational resource. [00:47:35] So we study what happens in other states, [00:47:37] we study best policies, best practices, [00:47:40] so that we can implement the best solution here [00:47:42] for our county and our needs. [00:47:44] So just wanna emphasize that we were put [00:47:47] in a different category. [00:47:49] We wanna make sure that that is our role. [00:47:52] So I am now going to hand it off to, [00:47:54] Chris, thank you for letting me interrupt, [00:47:56] even though I technically wasn't on the agenda. [00:47:58] I'm gonna give it to Christina Roberto and Kent Runyon, [00:48:01] they do chair the Marijuana Task Force. [00:48:02] And just to make a shameless pitch, [00:48:05] we are completely voluntary. [00:48:06] So if any of you are interested in helping us [00:48:08] continue to solve the opioid epidemic, [00:48:10] or the heroin issues, or impaired driving, [00:48:13] or that babies are born addicted to opioids [00:48:15] at horrible levels here in Pasco, [00:48:17] let me know, because we're always recruiting [00:48:19] visionaries, as Angel said. [00:48:21] So, thanks. [00:48:22] Thank you. [00:48:24] Hi, everyone. [00:48:25] My name is Christina Roberto. [00:48:27] And I just wanted to talk a little bit more [00:48:29] about the current legislation that's going on in Tallahassee. [00:48:33] There are the two bills that you saw, [00:48:34] the Senate and the House bill. [00:48:36] With the Senate, it would provide more multiple forms [00:48:40] of marijuana to be used, but not smokable. [00:48:45] There would maintain the second physician concurrence, [00:48:50] that they would have to make sure [00:48:51] that two different doctors are okay with it. [00:48:55] Allowing a broader group of relatives [00:48:57] to serve as caregivers, and authorizes greater, [00:49:03] more than a 90-day supply for the person [00:49:06] that's looking for this. [00:49:09] The Senate bill is looking, [00:49:13] has more support from the amendment to supporters. [00:49:15] And then the House bill is seen as more restrictive. [00:49:19] It does prohibit smoking, vaping, and edibles. [00:49:21] Sorry, also the Senate does allow for edibles. [00:49:25] But with the House, it creates new positions [00:49:30] to look at this, especially with law enforcement training, [00:49:33] public awareness campaigns. [00:49:37] Still, right now, the patient would have to be established [00:49:40] for three months before the doctor [00:49:42] would be able to prescribe marijuana. [00:49:47] Also, I think someone said something, [00:49:49] like if it's going to pass the Senate bill. [00:49:51] The Senate bill just passed its last committee this morning. [00:49:54] So it's going to go to the calendar reading [00:49:57] where they're on the floor. [00:49:59] And then the House bill still has one more committee [00:50:01] through the Appropriations Committee. [00:50:05] But it looks like it's going to be passing. [00:50:07] And if it doesn't pass, the amendment says [00:50:09] if the legislature does not come to an agreement, [00:50:14] I think it's by July that Floridians can sue the state. [00:50:17] So I think that really motivates them [00:50:20] to be able to come to some type of agreement. [00:50:25] But there have been a lot of workshops in Tallahassee. [00:50:27] So I think there are some discrepancies between each bill, [00:50:31] but I think that by the end, [00:50:32] they will come up to some type of agreement. [00:50:35] They both want quality control and testing and regulation. [00:50:39] Interestingly, they want to rename, [00:50:40] both sides want to rename the dispensaries [00:50:42] to Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers. [00:50:44] So the dispensary won't be in the name. [00:50:49] Also, along with being with the Marijuana Task Force, [00:50:53] we just really want to make sure [00:50:54] that we just decrease any chance for abuse, [00:50:58] especially with youth and children. [00:51:00] We know how susceptible they are to influences [00:51:02] and they are very excited for marijuana. [00:51:05] We've done lots of focus groups to be able to see that. [00:51:08] And we just want to make sure [00:51:09] that it's not being marketed towards children. [00:51:14] With edibles, it can be with candy, soda, pop tarts. [00:51:17] That's what you can see. [00:51:20] Interestingly, on my way home from work every day, [00:51:23] in Pasco, there's a gas station that says CBD oil [00:51:30] or CBD products here. [00:51:32] And we don't want that to be advertised [00:51:36] because we don't want it to be normalized. [00:51:37] You can just get this in a gas station. [00:51:39] If this is a medicine, it needs to be treated like a medicine [00:51:43] and it can't just be advertised easily. [00:51:47] And that trulieve is kind of right by my house. [00:51:50] And so I actually didn't even know it was there [00:51:52] until doing all this research I saw it. [00:51:56] And it's not highly, there's not pot leaves. [00:51:59] It's not, it just says the name. [00:52:01] And I think that's a really good start [00:52:03] because that's what we need. [00:52:04] We don't need it to be highly advertised. [00:52:08] And there's something else I wanted to say. [00:52:12] Like I said, dispensaries near schools. [00:52:14] Like I just said, students are, [00:52:16] I know that it can be a hard topic, [00:52:18] but we just want to make sure [00:52:20] that youth aren't getting into this [00:52:22] or they aren't just being encouraged. [00:52:24] And I know peer pressure and everything, [00:52:26] but we just want to make sure [00:52:27] that there's a lot of awareness also of what goes on. [00:52:34] And that's all I have to say. [00:52:37] Thank you. [00:52:38] Good evening. [00:52:39] My name is Kent Runyon. [00:52:40] I'm the other co-chair of the Marijuana Task Force. [00:52:43] And like you, I have a day job as well. [00:52:46] My day job is Novus Medical Detox [00:52:48] located here in New Port Richey, [00:52:50] where we help people who are struggling [00:52:52] with substance use disorders, [00:52:53] where it's alcohol, prescription drugs, [00:52:56] heroin, or other drugs like that. [00:52:58] So I see addiction every day. [00:53:01] And I have over 25 years of experience [00:53:03] working in the field of social services, [00:53:06] working with homeless veterans, [00:53:08] persons returning to the community [00:53:09] after a long period of incarceration, [00:53:12] women who have been victims of trauma. [00:53:14] So my entire career has been in social services. [00:53:18] And I'll tell you on this topic, [00:53:20] I sometimes find myself on sometimes both sides of the aisle. [00:53:24] If you ask me to come here and talk about [00:53:26] the over-incarceration of those [00:53:28] in possession of drugs for personal use, [00:53:31] I would tell you we need to deal with that. [00:53:34] We've by far over-incarcerated, over-arrested persons [00:53:37] who struggle with chronic disease called addiction, [00:53:40] where that's marijuana, heroin, or other drugs. [00:53:45] On the same token, if you ask me to talk about [00:53:47] my concerns about our children and our youth, [00:53:50] I'll tell you I have grave concerns [00:53:52] about increased access for our children and youth. [00:53:58] We don't do a particularly good job [00:53:59] of protecting our youth from prescription drugs. [00:54:02] We regularly see our youth in possession [00:54:04] of prescription drugs in our communities [00:54:07] and are overdosing on a regular basis. [00:54:09] We regularly see our children and youth [00:54:12] in possession of alcohol. [00:54:14] So we've not shown that we're, [00:54:16] whether we as parents or we as adults [00:54:18] have a great track history of controlling [00:54:21] even those substances that are supposedly under our control. [00:54:25] So that's what I would come here to communicate is [00:54:29] let's make sure that in our haste [00:54:33] to make this accessible to those [00:54:35] who are prescribed it by a physician [00:54:37] who need it for a medical condition, [00:54:40] that in that rush to do that, [00:54:43] that there's a balance of okay, [00:54:45] but what are we doing to ensure that [00:54:47] one, we're not sending the wrong message [00:54:49] to our children and youth about marijuana [00:54:51] and its medical attributes [00:54:52] versus its recreational attributes, [00:54:55] and what are we doing to ensure [00:54:58] that our community is educated about its dangers, [00:55:01] its risks, and making sure that those children and youth [00:55:04] don't come into contact with it [00:55:05] because there's a lot of evidence. [00:55:07] I think everyone in the room today, [00:55:09] regardless of what position they came here with, [00:55:11] would agree we don't want our children and youth [00:55:13] coming into early contact [00:55:15] and we certainly don't want them to begin regular early use [00:55:19] based on what we know about early brain development. [00:55:21] So those are my cautions [00:55:22] and those will be my cautions about in our zoning [00:55:25] is that we're thoughtful about our marketing, [00:55:28] about our positioning, [00:55:29] about what's that message to our youth [00:55:32] who don't process like adults. [00:55:34] I already hear children talking about how, [00:55:37] well, marijuana's harmless, it's an herb. [00:55:40] Well, poisons are herbs. [00:55:41] I mean, there's a lot of things that are herbs. [00:55:44] Are we, make sure what we're communicating to our youth [00:55:47] about this substance [00:55:49] and that we're taking due measure to protect them. [00:55:52] Thank you. Thank you. [00:55:53] Any questions? [00:55:56] As I- Not at the moment. [00:55:58] Mr. Angel, if you guys stick around, [00:55:59] we may have questions for you as this goes on. [00:56:02] So thank you. [00:56:04] And I'm correct, we do not have anyone [00:56:06] from Drug Free America. [00:56:08] Not unless they showed up, I don't know. [00:56:12] In that case, we're gonna open it up for public comment. [00:56:17] Would ask that you try to keep it down [00:56:19] to about three minutes. [00:56:21] And we will be, there's plenty of folks here [00:56:24] if you wanna keep talking. [00:56:27] We'll keep listening, but we're gonna run to about 6.30 [00:56:30] and then take a short break. [00:56:32] And then we'll come back for however long it takes. [00:56:36] With that, anyone who would like to address counsel [00:56:39] on this, please come on down. [00:56:41] And if we could get you to sign your name and address [00:56:43] for the record, that would help us immensely. [00:56:45] You do want me to? [00:56:46] You try to. [00:56:47] Thank you. [00:56:56] Usually let him get the name and address [00:56:58] and start talking before you hit the start. [00:57:10] You stick around and just answer any questions [00:57:11] as it comes along, but I'm gonna let them all go first. [00:57:14] But, I do wanna say, I do wanna say that. [00:57:19] If you could give us your name also. [00:57:20] Anthony Livio, 6316 Bandura Avenue, [00:57:23] New Port Richey, Florida. [00:57:24] I do wanna say, first off, Lisa's been great. [00:57:26] Working with her, she's been right on the emails. [00:57:28] I love how she went to TruLeave. [00:57:30] And you guys are all welcome to TruLeave, [00:57:31] Kim Rivers said, anytime you can just email [00:57:34] and set up an appointment. [00:57:36] As we talked, I do agree that C2 General [00:57:39] would be the best zoning for that. [00:57:40] Anywhere that a medical establishment could be [00:57:43] that would be there. [00:57:44] I could disagree with the historical downtown. [00:57:46] I mean, maybe if we had one, [00:57:47] just because we're allowing Bifo Brady's [00:57:49] to be right across from a park. [00:57:50] Feel that, that was kind of a rough decision, [00:57:53] you know, that you guys did that. [00:57:54] But, moving on from that, [00:57:57] I'm gonna let everybody else go first, [00:57:58] but in case there's any questions that come up, [00:58:00] I'll be right here. [00:58:01] Thank you. [00:58:06] Hi, I'm Michelle Fledge. [00:58:08] I live in New Port Richey, Florida, [00:58:09] and I'm from Consciousness for Cannabis. [00:58:11] And I first wanted to apologize to you guys [00:58:13] for the last time I was here. [00:58:14] Just one thing, you can pull the mic down. [00:58:17] I know, I really, I need a soapbox. [00:58:18] Because you make a strain with you like this. [00:58:21] We're all sitting up feeling bad for you. [00:58:22] Dude, this is why I got mad last time, [00:58:24] because I was like, I can't reach. [00:58:26] We understand when you walk up to that mic, [00:58:28] you can load it pretty good. [00:58:30] We understand that, we appreciate that, thanks. [00:58:33] I think they're watching you with a mic in your forehead. [00:58:35] Yeah, that's where it is. [00:58:36] Did you notice, it's hidden in my glasses. [00:58:39] So, I apologize for that. [00:58:41] I'm Greek and I'm cranky, so. [00:58:43] Anyway, I was in Tallahassee last Tuesday for the, [00:58:50] what was it we were up there for? [00:58:52] Thank you, Rally and Tally. [00:58:53] So, I'm really scattered. [00:58:55] I get nervous when I talk to you guys. [00:58:58] But what I wanted to point out to you guys [00:59:00] was that there were parents up there [00:59:03] that wished they could give edibles to their children [00:59:06] that resembled gummy bears. [00:59:07] Because trying to get the tincture mixed up [00:59:11] in applesauce or other ways of delivery [00:59:12] when their child's having an issue is not an easy thing. [00:59:15] These people were crying, [00:59:17] and it was the saddest thing in the world. [00:59:19] And then while we were waiting to do our press conference, [00:59:22] somebody actually had a seizure in the gallery [00:59:24] while it was going on, and I watched the ambulance come [00:59:26] and take the person away. [00:59:28] And they couldn't give them the tincture there [00:59:29] because it was federal property, [00:59:31] and they would have went to prison [00:59:32] for dragging the tincture out of their bag [00:59:34] to save this person from the seizure. [00:59:37] So, I talked to Lance Ramsey. [00:59:39] I think you went to go visit him at Satara. [00:59:42] And he likes dispensaries to be called wellness centers. [00:59:44] So now my propaganda will include wellness centers [00:59:48] instead of dispensary, [00:59:49] because I think that that's a much nicer term. [00:59:51] And what he said to me, I thought, [00:59:52] was really kind of interesting, [00:59:54] and I thought was a really good idea. [00:59:56] He wanted his place in a place in Tampa, down there, [00:59:59] where it was safe. [01:00:00] is by USF, also because it was close to Moffitt. [01:00:02] And if we're going to try to say that this is medicine [01:00:05] and we want our children to understand that it's a medicine, [01:00:07] then putting it at any place else but near doctors [01:00:10] doesn't make any sense to me. [01:00:11] That's where all the doctors are. [01:00:13] There's other pharmacies and things there [01:00:15] for you to get your medicine. [01:00:16] I think that that should happen. [01:00:18] I thought that was a really good idea. [01:00:22] Let's see. [01:00:22] Oh, it's close to hospice help too. [01:00:24] He was, and he was really cool about saying [01:00:26] you could come visit at any time. [01:00:28] That it looked more like a day spa than it did. [01:00:30] You know, anything seemly or whatever, you know. [01:00:35] And I don't agree with the people from the drug-free thing. [01:00:37] I'm sorry, no offense, you guys seem real lovely. [01:00:39] But I don't look at it as something [01:00:43] that we shouldn't normalize. [01:00:44] I think that cannabis use should be normalized. [01:00:46] I think it should be humanized. [01:00:47] And I think that we need to start taking the stereotype away [01:00:51] and reclaiming cannabis for whatever anybody [01:00:54] wants to use it for. [01:00:55] Smoke, vape, eat, drink, however. [01:00:58] Thank you. [01:00:59] Thank you. [01:01:03] Hello, my name is Emily Philips. [01:01:06] My address, do you guys want that? [01:01:08] Please. [01:01:09] Well I live in Wesley Chapel. [01:01:10] I'm a patient, I'm an advocate and also involved [01:01:13] in several organizations such as Florida Medical Marijuana [01:01:16] and Racing for Vets and Buds for Vets and all of that. [01:01:20] I'm not a criminal. [01:01:21] I mean, I was to be, you know, legal [01:01:26] and I want to go to safe places. [01:01:28] I don't want to be pushed to the corner of a city [01:01:29] to get any of my medication right now where I live. [01:01:32] I mean, I'm already far, far out there, but just, [01:01:35] I mean, look at me, I'm not a bad person. [01:01:38] You know, I shouldn't be made a criminal [01:01:40] and, you know, I just want the same, [01:01:44] I want everyone else to have that same respect too. [01:01:46] You know, like, don't treat us like we're drug addicts. [01:01:50] Don't treat us like, you know, we're these criminals [01:01:53] out there on the street smoking PCP or something. [01:01:56] I use cannabis for my anxiety. [01:01:58] I'm also a cancer survivor. [01:02:01] Currently, I cannot take cannabis to prevent cancer [01:02:05] and all of that, but I mean, I would like to see that [01:02:07] and I appreciate you guys advancing all of your work [01:02:11] to get laws set and to get these stores, you know, [01:02:15] dispensaries here so that me and other patients [01:02:17] can get our medication in a safe place, so thank you. [01:02:21] Thank you. [01:02:29] Hi, I'm gonna list this up a little. [01:02:32] I kind of have a book here. [01:02:33] These are all handouts for you guys. [01:02:35] I'm gonna try to make this as quick as possible, [01:02:37] but I do have a page speech. [01:02:39] My name is Jamie Howe. [01:02:41] Thank you for letting me speak. [01:02:43] I'm 34 years old. [01:02:45] I have a bachelor's degree in psychology. [01:02:48] I worked in mental health and in healthcare [01:02:52] for over five years. [01:02:53] Unfortunately, that is before I became disabled. [01:02:57] Every single day, I wake up with immense pain [01:03:00] in my stomach and cramps. [01:03:03] I spend the next four to five hours of my day [01:03:05] in and out of the bathroom. [01:03:06] This is my life. [01:03:08] I've had six abdominal surgeries in the past seven years, [01:03:12] and now I have what is called [01:03:13] exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, EPI for short. [01:03:18] This essentially means that I am [01:03:19] in partial pancreatic failure. [01:03:22] The doctors here in Tampa have no other treatments for me. [01:03:25] I cannot take opiate pain meds. [01:03:28] The doctors, or the last time I had surgery, [01:03:31] it was in January of 2016, [01:03:35] they gave them to me just for my surgery pain afterwards, [01:03:39] and my body reacted so bad to it [01:03:41] that I had two bowel blockages [01:03:43] and it shut down my entire system. [01:03:45] I had to have two NG tubes. [01:03:46] It was probably the most traumatic thing of my life. [01:03:50] I became septic. [01:03:51] I almost died. [01:03:55] In being, I needed an alternative. [01:03:58] You know, in being that I was so sick, [01:04:01] I went into rehab for 30 days for pills [01:04:03] because I was afraid they were going to kill me, [01:04:06] and I told them, please take them away from me. [01:04:07] Help me, help me, help me, okay? [01:04:10] Okay, so I got clean off of everything. [01:04:12] I was completely clean for nine months. [01:04:14] I went through an NA program and all that, [01:04:16] and I am very thankful to them because they got me sober. [01:04:18] Now, that being said, I had a severe back injury. [01:04:22] I've got two herniated discs in my back. [01:04:24] There are times where I get such severe muscle spasms [01:04:28] that I will be walking and just fall, randomly fall, okay? [01:04:32] That's another reason why I qualify for this. [01:04:36] That being said, [01:04:37] I started looking into alternative treatments [01:04:40] because at that point, I could barely walk, [01:04:43] and I was having so much pain that it was just not, [01:04:48] that type of constant pain is not, [01:04:52] you can't live life like that, okay? [01:04:53] You just can't. [01:04:55] It's not compatible with life. [01:04:56] That's what I was trying to say. [01:04:58] So I started doing research on other treatments [01:05:01] like acupuncture, massage. [01:05:04] I started chiropractic, which worked quite well for me, [01:05:08] but I was still in a lot of pain, [01:05:10] and as I started to do research, [01:05:12] I found out about cannabis, [01:05:14] and I had never thought about it, you know? [01:05:17] I didn't want to break the law. [01:05:18] I have a five-year-old child. [01:05:19] I didn't want to have that mess on my shoulders. [01:05:22] Now, that being said, [01:05:25] I was really shocked to find out [01:05:27] that it wasn't the bad drug [01:05:28] that the government had been telling us all these years. [01:05:32] I found credible medical journals [01:05:34] saying over and over different conditions it could help. [01:05:37] I was shocked to find [01:05:38] there was not one single overdose death [01:05:41] attributed to cannabis consumption, [01:05:43] but unfortunately, four people die every day [01:05:47] of opiate pharmaceutical pills, [01:05:50] and that is not even the people [01:05:51] that have moved from pills to heroin. [01:05:54] I think we need to move past the propaganda [01:05:56] and look what the credible medical research is saying. [01:06:00] These people have no other options. [01:06:03] All of this being said, [01:06:04] it makes me very sad that the city I live in [01:06:07] would want very sick people like myself [01:06:08] to have to be able to drive out of the county [01:06:12] to get my medicine, [01:06:14] never mind that many disabled [01:06:15] are not able to drive themselves. [01:06:18] Also, I'm not for dispensaries [01:06:20] being zoned like alcohol or porn shops. [01:06:23] I'm not sure exactly, you know, [01:06:25] I'm not familiar with zoning, [01:06:26] but I do agree with Zoe. [01:06:28] I think it should be, you know, [01:06:29] around doctor's offices. [01:06:31] That makes sense. [01:06:33] I'm sorry, I'm getting towards the end. [01:06:37] Let's see. [01:06:39] So I brought several handouts for you to read [01:06:41] on the positives of medical cannabis dispensaries. [01:06:45] First, as I said earlier, [01:06:47] cannabis can help with opiate addiction. [01:06:50] Research shows that states [01:06:51] that have legalized medical cannabis [01:06:52] have between, well, they had a 25% reduction [01:06:56] in the first year. [01:06:58] The second year, it was 33, [01:07:00] and the third year, it was a 40% reduction [01:07:03] in their opioid mortality rates. [01:07:05] I believe that was out in Colorado, okay? [01:07:11] Also, and I have a handout on that. [01:07:14] This is an actual study, guys, [01:07:17] from the Journal of American Medical Association. [01:07:21] If you'd want to just give all your handouts [01:07:23] to the clerk right here. [01:07:26] The city clerk. [01:07:27] Thank you. [01:07:31] Let me just, this is some of the same stuff [01:07:35] that we have, but thank you. [01:07:38] Another positive to having a medical dispensary [01:07:43] is that it will decrease healthcare costs. [01:07:45] I know somebody was talking about rising healthcare costs. [01:07:49] There was just a study that came out, [01:07:50] and I don't have it with me, [01:07:51] but I have this one, that said that as of right now, [01:07:55] medical marijuana, being out in the states [01:07:58] that have legalized it, it has now saved [01:08:01] Medicare, Medicaid, I think it was Medicaid, [01:08:03] a billion dollars, guys. [01:08:05] I mean, that's just going to go up [01:08:06] as more dispensaries open. [01:08:08] So, that's about that. [01:08:16] Oh, and this, okay. [01:08:20] It's in that package. [01:08:21] It's in the package, yeah. [01:08:24] Okay. [01:08:25] Mr. Mayor, can I just ask her a question [01:08:27] before she continues? [01:08:28] Did you already have these handouts submitted [01:08:30] to the city yesterday with your husband? [01:08:32] Okay, so you have copies of all that. [01:08:34] Oh, you did? [01:08:35] Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't understand. [01:08:37] I thought I had to make copies for them, too. [01:08:40] Okay, okay, all right. [01:08:42] Staff has already put all the same ones [01:08:44] that you've just given. [01:08:45] Oh, okay, that's why you, oh, I'm sorry. [01:08:48] Okay, it's been new to this, so, but. [01:08:50] Well, I have 10 more copies if anybody else wants to read. [01:08:54] Yeah, absolutely, if anybody wants to read them. [01:08:56] Okay, so, the next one I have [01:09:01] says that actually they found that [01:09:05] it reduced crime in the areas [01:09:08] where there were medical marijuana dispensaries, [01:09:10] and she said she already, [01:09:11] should I still give you the top one, or no? [01:09:14] No, we're fine. [01:09:15] Okay. We have them. [01:09:16] Thank you. [01:09:18] All right, and, you know, [01:09:20] a lot of that has to do with the security there. [01:09:23] You know, I've been to TrueLeave, [01:09:24] and it's very secure. [01:09:26] There's not people hanging out. [01:09:28] It's, it looks like a medical office. [01:09:30] You go in, you know, whatever. [01:09:31] But anyway, the ATM, by the way, [01:09:34] is there because you cannot use credit cards [01:09:36] because of federal banking. [01:09:37] So, that's why it's there. [01:09:41] I'm sorry, I'm finishing up here. [01:09:45] Another positive that they found [01:09:47] to medical cannabis dispensaries [01:09:49] is that there was actually a decrease [01:09:52] in traffic fatalities [01:09:53] in areas that opened medical cannabis dispensary [01:09:56] just in the first year. [01:09:57] They saw an eight to 11% decrease in traffic fatalities, [01:10:01] and that's another handout I have. [01:10:06] Actually, that's this one. [01:10:15] And there was a couple that were really long studies [01:10:17] that I just printed, like, the front page for you [01:10:19] because it has the abstract on it, [01:10:21] which just really explains the study. [01:10:29] Okay, the next thing I have on here [01:10:33] is about the cannabis industry creating great revenue. [01:10:37] The next thing I have is from Forbes, [01:10:38] and it talks about the marijuana industry [01:10:40] is projected to create more jobs [01:10:42] than manufacturing in 2020. [01:10:44] I think we need to get away from industries [01:10:47] like, say, coal that's dying [01:10:49] and get into industries that are new. [01:10:52] That being said, [01:11:02] I also wanted to ask you guys, [01:11:04] I do have my medicine, [01:11:05] and I wanted to ask you if I could show it to you [01:11:07] so you can see what it looks like, [01:11:09] the stuff from TruLeaf. [01:11:11] Is that okay, or am I going to get in trouble? [01:11:14] Pleasure of mine. [01:11:15] Oh. [01:11:18] Use it, obviously. [01:11:19] Right, no, I just want to show it to you guys [01:11:21] so you can see what it looks like. [01:11:23] Okay, let me just finish, and then I'll bring it up. [01:11:24] Do you have that medicine? [01:11:26] Huh? [01:11:26] Do you legally possess that medicine? [01:11:27] Yes, absolutely. [01:11:28] Do you have your ID card on you? [01:11:30] No, I'm on the, I'm patient 2665. [01:11:33] You can look me up, yes. [01:11:35] I'm on the registry. [01:11:36] I have still not received my card. [01:11:38] Thank you guys, yes. [01:11:39] I still haven't received my card yet. [01:11:41] Actually, I did it, I was on the registry [01:11:44] before the cards, before this Amendment 2 thing. [01:11:48] So, you know, I'm waiting to kind of be grandfathered in, [01:11:51] I guess. [01:11:52] I don't know how they're going to do that. [01:11:53] Okay, well, if you can wrap it up, [01:11:54] so we can get some of the folks. [01:11:54] Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. [01:11:56] Okay, so one last thing. [01:11:57] They were talking about teens. [01:11:59] I printed out another handout for you guys [01:12:01] that shows that after legalization, [01:12:03] teen marijuana use dropped sharply in Colorado. [01:12:09] And here's a picture of me. [01:12:11] That's me at TruLeaf. [01:12:12] I just didn't know if you guys had seen the dispensary yet. [01:12:15] And as far as them limiting whole plant cannabis, [01:12:18] it shouldn't be limited. [01:12:19] I have a study here, too, that I didn't give to you yet. [01:12:22] But it shows that the association between [01:12:25] marijuana exposure and pulmonary function [01:12:27] over a 20-year time period. [01:12:30] So. [01:12:34] Jeff, I'll get that. [01:12:35] Okay. [01:12:39] And they found... [01:12:41] I'm sorry, they found no adverse side effects [01:12:43] and that it does not cause cancer. [01:12:46] So. [01:12:47] Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. [01:12:48] I'm sorry. [01:12:49] Thank you. [01:12:49] Thank you. [01:12:55] Would you like these handouts back [01:12:56] for anyone in the audience, since we have copies? [01:12:59] Oh, yeah. [01:13:00] Yeah, I'll go ahead and take them. [01:13:02] Thank you, guys. [01:13:02] Sorry about that. [01:13:03] No problem. [01:13:06] Thank you. [01:13:10] Hi, my name is Michelle Winchell. [01:13:12] I am a resident here in New Port Richey. [01:13:15] I'm fairly new to the area. [01:13:17] I'm from Ohio. [01:13:18] We just came down three years ago. [01:13:20] I am 40 years old and I've been disabled [01:13:24] for seven years now. [01:13:25] I was, because I had to give up my license [01:13:29] due to my disability, I was an RN. [01:13:31] I know about the medical field from both sides. [01:13:35] And trust me, when you've worked in the medical field [01:13:38] and then you're a patient, it's a huge difference [01:13:43] and it's very ugly. [01:13:46] I just wanted to say, I came in a hurry [01:13:49] so I don't have a prepared speech, I'm sorry. [01:13:51] But wanted to show you that before I left my house, [01:13:55] before I went out the door, I had to grab something. [01:13:59] I had to grab this, my pain medication. [01:14:03] This is Dilaudid. [01:14:05] I have to have it with me at all times [01:14:08] so that I do not miss a dose. [01:14:10] If I do miss a dose, my husband can attest [01:14:14] that my pain will go from zero to 100 very quickly. [01:14:20] Due to the new regulations, they're trying to limit [01:14:24] the amount of opiates that people are on. [01:14:26] When I went to the pharmacy last month [01:14:29] to get my prescriptions, they didn't want to give me [01:14:31] one of my prescriptions because it was over [01:14:35] the 100 milligram equivalent to morphine. [01:14:38] That's what they're trying to do is limit people [01:14:40] to the equivalent of 100 milligrams of morphine. [01:14:44] The medications I'm on is over 200 milligrams [01:14:48] equivalent to morphine. [01:14:50] I've taken all of my medications right now [01:14:53] and I'm fully functional [01:14:55] because I had built up such a tolerance. [01:14:58] I lost part of my colon. [01:15:00] due to the opioid-induced constipation. [01:15:05] At 40 years old, I'm going through menopause [01:15:08] due to the opiates. [01:15:11] And the opiates still do not control my pain. [01:15:14] Opiates do not touch nerve pain at all. [01:15:17] What had happened, I injured my back [01:15:19] while I was caring for patients. [01:15:21] I had multiple spine surgeries and they failed. [01:15:26] They don't know exactly what's going on with me right now. [01:15:29] I'm presently going to USF for treatment to find out. [01:15:32] I lost my ability to walk a year and a half ago. [01:15:35] And nobody could tell me why. [01:15:38] I have such severe, severe cramps in my right leg [01:15:42] that I can't feel most of. [01:15:44] At times that I'm screaming in pain [01:15:47] and my husband has to try to rub it out. [01:15:50] The only thing that helps is cannabis. [01:15:53] I currently cannot use it because I'm waiting for my card. [01:15:57] I qualified for compassionate use. [01:16:00] But I wanted to say real quickly, [01:16:02] because my time's running out. [01:16:03] As far as the dispensaries, [01:16:06] I know that Garen is, he's very rambunctious. [01:16:11] He has a heart about what he does. [01:16:15] But it doesn't mean that these dispensaries [01:16:17] are going to have large neon signs saying, [01:16:21] you know, cannabis here, cannabis here. [01:16:24] Like somebody said, they're like physician's offices. [01:16:27] And as far as having like the head shops [01:16:29] and everything near and not wanting those head shops near, [01:16:32] do you not realize that as of right now, [01:16:35] even in the flea market on 19, [01:16:37] that they sell bongs, smoke pipes, [01:16:43] but you just cannot say the word cannabis [01:16:45] while you're in there. [01:16:48] Exactly, exactly. [01:16:51] So that stuff is already right there. [01:16:55] I want a chance, I want off of this stuff. [01:16:59] You know, this ties me and I hate it. [01:17:05] You know, as a nurse, I know what this stuff does. [01:17:10] And I don't want to be on it. [01:17:14] You know, that's the whole point of the cannabis [01:17:16] is to get people off of these. [01:17:19] And these kill so many people. [01:17:23] I know a few people that have died from overdoses. [01:17:29] You don't die from overdose of cannabis. [01:17:33] Never have, never will. [01:17:35] You might be sitting on your couch, not able to move [01:17:37] and then want to go to Taco Bell later on, [01:17:40] but it cannot kill you. [01:17:43] And my husband's my caretaker. [01:17:46] I cannot drive. [01:17:46] He works five days a week. [01:17:48] He works from home so that he can take care of me. [01:17:51] We're not easily able to get down to Clearwater, [01:17:55] to Truelief. [01:17:57] Because I just sent my paperwork and my $75 in [01:18:00] so I will be getting my card here soon, my registry. [01:18:04] But we can't always drive down there. [01:18:06] We should be able to just take a short drive [01:18:09] to a healthcare area, to a dispensary and get my medication [01:18:15] because it's medication. [01:18:17] It's not a drug, it is medication. [01:18:21] Thank you. [01:18:22] Thank you. [01:18:23] Thank you. [01:18:24] Thank you. [01:18:37] Hello, Carrie Scheidel still off. [01:18:42] Thank you for holding tonight's workshop. [01:18:44] It's been very informative so far. [01:18:47] They have to hear you and you're on tape. [01:18:49] Okay, thanks. [01:18:50] Patients of New Port Richey and surrounding areas [01:18:53] need to have access to safe and local locations [01:18:55] to buy their medication. [01:18:57] It's recommended that city council [01:18:59] should consult existing ordinances in nearby cities [01:19:02] such as that of Tarpon Springs, [01:19:03] their recently adopted ordinance. [01:19:06] Cannabis businesses shouldn't be restricted [01:19:08] to unincorporated areas with inadequate access [01:19:10] to public transportation. [01:19:13] If zoning regulations must be enacted, [01:19:15] then they should follow currently enforced [01:19:16] alcohol regulations and should not require [01:19:18] more than 500 feet distance from schools, et cetera. [01:19:22] Current pharmacies and establishments which sell alcohol [01:19:25] are not scrutinized to this extent [01:19:26] and alcohol is not a medicine. [01:19:29] US 19 areas around hospitals and medical complexes [01:19:33] are obviously great locations to consider. [01:19:35] Moving forward with sensible regulation, [01:19:39] know that you have the support [01:19:40] of the American Medical Association, [01:19:42] the American College of Physicians, [01:19:44] American Nurses Association, [01:19:46] American Public Health Association, [01:19:48] Lymphoma Foundation of America, [01:19:50] Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, [01:19:52] Epilepsy Foundation, [01:19:53] American Academy of HIV Medicine, [01:19:56] National Multiple Sclerosis Society, [01:19:58] the Episcopal Church, [01:20:00] Presbyterian Church of the USA, [01:20:03] Consumer Reports Magazine, [01:20:05] American Federation of State, County, [01:20:07] and Municipal Employees, [01:20:08] and many, many more. [01:20:10] Why do they support it? [01:20:12] Because science offers us proof, not propaganda. [01:20:18] At a time when our state is completely ignoring [01:20:20] the will of the people and botching Amendment 2, [01:20:22] you have a chance to offer a sliver of redemption [01:20:25] in how you choose to frame your ordinance. [01:20:28] Decriminalization is another topic [01:20:31] I'd like to bring up tonight. [01:20:34] Did you know that Oregon decriminalized possession in 1973, [01:20:39] followed by Berkeley, California in 1979? [01:20:42] Those facts indicate that we are decades behind the trend [01:20:45] and the business opportunities. [01:20:47] By decriminalizing the possession [01:20:49] of small amounts of cannabis, [01:20:51] you will be joining forces with larger counties and cities, [01:20:54] such as Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach, [01:20:56] Hallandale Beach, Key West, West Palm Beach, [01:20:59] Broward County, Palm Beach County, [01:21:01] Volusia County, Tampa, Orlando, [01:21:04] Osceola County, Alachua County, [01:21:06] and last but not least, New Port Richey. [01:21:09] The future of cannabis in America can best be gauged [01:21:11] by looking at these proactive municipalities [01:21:14] and learning from their successes and failures. [01:21:16] Decriminalization protects kids, [01:21:19] and that is our greatest asset. [01:21:21] There are over 700,000 incarcerations nationwide [01:21:24] due to cannabis arrest, [01:21:26] and 88.42% of those arrests were for possession. [01:21:30] By continuing to prosecute our community members [01:21:32] over possession of a plant, [01:21:34] minorities are disproportionately targeted, [01:21:37] families are destroyed, young lives are forever scarred, [01:21:40] and we keep the for-profit private prison systems [01:21:44] full of otherwise productive citizens. [01:21:48] All of this destruction over a plant [01:21:50] which has never caused one death in the entire world. [01:21:54] Do you have concerns that by decriminalizing [01:21:57] and eventually legalizing cannabis, [01:21:58] that more underage people will begin using it? [01:22:02] A poll of 17,000 Colorado high school students [01:22:05] conducted by the state government [01:22:07] found their use to be below the national average, [01:22:10] despite having legalized for adults. [01:22:14] This issue is not going away [01:22:15] and has been presented to council previously [01:22:17] without being voted upon. [01:22:19] We'd like to hear from each of you and Chief Bogart today [01:22:23] where your thoughts are on decriminalizing, [01:22:26] if you're for or against nature's best medicine. [01:22:29] Thank you. [01:22:30] And I do have, [01:22:34] I also have several, [01:22:36] I'm not sure what Jamie presented with, [01:22:37] but I have several pronounced [01:22:39] from the Marijuana Policy Project. [01:22:42] Do you guys have that? [01:22:44] Yeah, we have three or four things from the policy. [01:22:48] Okay, because I've got stuff on the geographic diversity [01:22:52] about where to put medical cannabis. [01:22:54] If you'd like to leave that with the clerk, [01:22:56] she can get it to us. [01:22:57] Yeah. [01:22:58] If we haven't already gotten copies. [01:22:59] We've been buried under papers. [01:23:07] Excuse me. [01:23:20] Do you have past conference events ordinance? [01:23:22] That one, I know we've got. [01:23:25] Thank you very much. [01:23:27] Thank you. [01:23:28] Thank you. [01:23:29] Thank you. [01:23:30] Thank you. [01:23:30] Thank you. [01:23:31] Denise Houston. [01:23:32] And I just want to say that I've spoken [01:23:34] to quite a few individually [01:23:36] and you are all very well educated in this. [01:23:38] And I want to thank you for listening. [01:23:41] I'm a city resident and I propose [01:23:43] that this would benefit our city. [01:23:46] I'd like us to be forward thinking. [01:23:48] We have some of the best resources right here. [01:23:50] Garen is here. [01:23:51] I mean, you take advantage of it. [01:23:53] He's offered. [01:23:55] Thank you. [01:24:02] Good evening. [01:24:02] My name is Tara Tedrow. [01:24:03] I'm an attorney at Lounge-Strasdick, [01:24:05] 215 North Eola Drive, Orlando, Florida. [01:24:07] Would you mind pulling up my PowerPoint? [01:24:10] I'm here on behalf of Knox Medical, [01:24:11] which is one of the seven licensed dispensing organizations. [01:24:14] If you go to my first slide, [01:24:16] the background I was going to give [01:24:17] was a bit about the legal background in Florida, [01:24:19] but your attorney did such a good job [01:24:21] that I don't want to bore you with those details. [01:24:23] One thing I do want to bring to light [01:24:25] is that when these statutory requirements [01:24:27] were originally contemplated, [01:24:28] they were contemplated to allow [01:24:30] for reasonable access for patients. [01:24:33] Even though there is explicit preemption language [01:24:36] in those statutes that give you all the power [01:24:38] to determine the number and the location [01:24:40] and other reasonable permitting requirements [01:24:43] for dispensaries, [01:24:44] it contemplates that you're going to have [01:24:46] a number of and certain locations [01:24:48] for those dispensaries to provide reasonable access. [01:24:52] I'm here as an advocate, [01:24:53] but an advocate on behalf of Knox Medical [01:24:55] and what they do and the product [01:24:56] that they can bring to patients. [01:24:58] I think the patient advocates here tonight [01:25:00] do a much better job of telling you [01:25:01] about the critical importance of this medicine [01:25:04] for people in the state of Florida. [01:25:05] So what I want to talk about is the operational side of it. [01:25:08] If you don't mind going to the fifth slide. [01:25:11] These are the seven dispensing organizations. [01:25:13] The map you saw in the earlier presentation [01:25:15] broke it down by what were water management districts. [01:25:17] When this scheme was first contemplated, [01:25:19] they were broken down by water management districts [01:25:21] for the state. [01:25:22] They realized that that probably wasn't good [01:25:23] for competition and what happened [01:25:25] if one of those groups ran out of a supply. [01:25:27] So instead they opened it up to the entire state. [01:25:29] So while Knox Medical is located in Winter Garden [01:25:32] and have received the highest bid [01:25:34] on their application in the state [01:25:36] and received the award to do the dispensing [01:25:38] in Central Florida, [01:25:39] we're opened up to dispensing across the state. [01:25:41] So we do at-home deliveries [01:25:43] and we deliver everywhere from Tallahassee to Key West. [01:25:47] And that is a flat fee that we charge for those deliveries, [01:25:50] currently $25 for patients. [01:25:53] Next slide, please. [01:25:54] So Knox Medical is one of seven licensed [01:25:56] medical cannabis dispensing organizations in Florida. [01:26:00] And this is what the myth of medical marijuana is. [01:26:02] And I was just out in Denver last week. [01:26:05] And so this is what people think. [01:26:06] When I go around the state to talk, [01:26:08] everybody says this is what they don't want [01:26:10] in their city and their county. [01:26:11] I understand that. [01:26:12] But if you go to the next slide, [01:26:13] this is what the reality of these dispensaries are. [01:26:16] And I can't speak on behalf [01:26:17] of the other licensed dispensing organizations, [01:26:19] but I know if they had the benefit [01:26:20] of your attention tonight, [01:26:22] they would show you that these are the prototypes [01:26:23] for their dispensaries as well. [01:26:25] None of us are trying to bring to the market [01:26:26] something that would bring you shame or any concern, [01:26:29] nor should it bring you shame and concern [01:26:30] because you see the people that are benefiting [01:26:32] and that are the patients of these dispensaries. [01:26:34] If you go to the next slide, [01:26:35] this shows you the reality of the interior. [01:26:37] So you don't walk into a seedy establishment [01:26:40] with bars on the windows. [01:26:41] Instead, you walk into a place [01:26:42] that should be accessible and warm and welcoming [01:26:45] and provide the utmost care [01:26:46] to the patients that we're serving. [01:26:48] This is the myth of what the products are right now. [01:26:50] But in the state of Florida, this is the reality. [01:26:52] The next slide shows you that the reality of the products [01:26:55] are capsules, sublingual drops, and vapors. [01:26:58] One comment was brought up about selling cartridges [01:27:01] and other paraphernalia. [01:27:02] We at Knox Medical certainly aren't going to restrict [01:27:05] any patient from getting a vapor pen [01:27:07] at the place of their choice. [01:27:08] We've actually made our cartridges universal. [01:27:11] So if you have your own vapor cartridge, [01:27:13] you can use that and put our CBD oil [01:27:15] into your own vapor cartridge. [01:27:17] Again, can't speak for the other groups, [01:27:19] but those are the types of products [01:27:20] that you'll see on the market. [01:27:21] I want to talk a little bit about the processing side. [01:27:24] The science behind the way that you extract [01:27:27] the medical marijuana down to the actual oil form, [01:27:30] which is what the state requires, is incredibly technical. [01:27:34] We have a full-time biochemical engineer on staff [01:27:36] whose sole job is to make sure we are complying [01:27:39] with what is an incredibly burdensome regulatory framework [01:27:42] set by the state of Florida. [01:27:44] So whatever you will impose on a city level [01:27:47] will probably pale in comparison [01:27:48] to what Florida Administrative Code [01:27:50] and Florida statutes already require [01:27:52] each of those dispensing organizations to abide by. [01:27:55] So we have everything from inductively coupled [01:27:57] plasma mass spectrometers, [01:27:59] and the products that we have inside of our laboratory. [01:28:01] Our biochemical engineer came from Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. [01:28:05] He was making Ambien and other types of pharmaceutical drugs. [01:28:08] He works for us now and says that some of the things [01:28:10] we have in our lab, he didn't even have at Sanofi [01:28:12] to work with. [01:28:13] So we are using the utmost care [01:28:15] and have state-of-the-art technology in our lab [01:28:19] in order to ensure that there is not a single harmful element [01:28:22] that any of our patients would be exposed to. [01:28:25] And we go above and beyond [01:28:26] what the state requires in that term. [01:28:28] The process for getting medical marijuana, [01:28:30] you don't just grow a plant and sell it. [01:28:32] So the first and it starts, [01:28:33] and I'm not going to pretend to be a biochemical engineer. [01:28:36] So I'm just going to give the layman's view of it. [01:28:38] Start out with the process called decarboxylation. [01:28:41] That's essentially when you are activating your cannabinoids. [01:28:44] The extraction process, we have a custom-built [01:28:47] supercritical CO2 extraction system [01:28:49] that's fully automated, safe, non-flammable [01:28:51] where we can extract the terpenes [01:28:53] specifically made for the cannabis industry. [01:28:55] The winterization process allows for the purification [01:28:58] of the cannabis oil. [01:29:00] And then we go through analytical testing [01:29:02] where we test for everything that could go into the product [01:29:05] because we want to put the utmost care [01:29:07] and make sure those products are the safest [01:29:09] for the patients that we serve. [01:29:10] And so we do have comprehensive testing [01:29:12] at every stage from our growing, our cultivation, [01:29:15] our processing, and refining it down [01:29:17] to the ultimate product that we put out on the market. [01:29:20] We also have something called RFID tracking. [01:29:22] We currently manage under Knox Nursery [01:29:25] about 150 million young plants using RFID technology. [01:29:29] So we brought that over into the cannabis side [01:29:31] of the industry so that we can track seed to sale, [01:29:33] everything that's coming in. [01:29:34] It's an incredible system. [01:29:36] When you bring it out from our grow house, [01:29:37] about 52 plants at a time get automatically tracked, [01:29:40] put into our system so we know exactly what's going on [01:29:43] in our greenhouses. [01:29:45] In terms of security, again, I don't think you're going [01:29:47] to find a more secure industry in the state of Florida. [01:29:50] So when it comes to things [01:29:51] like odor mitigation requirements, [01:29:52] I've probably read every code in the state [01:29:55] and I see some requirements that don't make a lot of sense [01:29:58] with the industry. [01:29:58] So dispensaries need to have. [01:30:00] odor mitigation and odor filtration. [01:30:03] Not a single product in our dispensary [01:30:05] is going to be omitting any odor whatsoever. [01:30:08] It's extracted. [01:30:09] So you're not having the actual cannabis plant in there. [01:30:12] So those types of requirements don't line up [01:30:14] with the reality of the industry. [01:30:15] In terms of security, I'm sorry if you could go back one. [01:30:18] In terms of security, [01:30:19] our facilities all have 360 degree video surveillance, [01:30:22] 45 day retention. [01:30:23] We have access control locks on every room [01:30:25] and a central station burglar alarm. [01:30:27] Our vehicles, because we do at home delivery, [01:30:30] we have above and beyond, I think, [01:30:31] what most every other group has in the state. [01:30:33] We have body cameras on all of our drivers. [01:30:35] It's probably not a fun drive from Orlando to Key West [01:30:38] when we listen to everything you're saying [01:30:40] and watch everything you're doing, [01:30:41] the entire drive down there. [01:30:43] But we have a GPS monitoring system as well. [01:30:45] So if you go off your set GPS course, [01:30:47] if you make any wrong turn, if you make any sudden stop, [01:30:50] if your vehicle is hit on your trip, [01:30:52] we will automatically know and pinpoint where that is [01:30:54] and be able to get involved [01:30:56] with any type of security breach there could possibly be. [01:30:59] In addition, like I said, we have body cameras, [01:31:01] 360 degree cameras inside of our cars as well [01:31:04] and a biometric safe to handle the product. [01:31:07] We also use a variety of cars. [01:31:09] So it's not as if it's an armored car, [01:31:10] but the cars are equipped [01:31:12] with all of those types of security measures [01:31:14] to ensure that we have a safe delivery of our product. [01:31:18] Knox Medical currently offers home delivery, as I said, [01:31:20] for anybody in the Compassionate Use Registry. [01:31:22] We have dispensaries coming soon in Tallahassee, [01:31:24] Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Lake Worth. [01:31:26] I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have [01:31:28] specific to the industry or Knox Medical. [01:31:31] And I appreciate your time [01:31:32] and your consideration of this issue tonight. [01:31:35] Thank you. [01:31:35] Any questions? [01:31:36] I think you guys got it figured out for sure. [01:31:42] Thank you. [01:31:49] My name is Rachel Nickel. [01:31:50] I live at 11938 Tasha Court, New Port Richey. [01:31:54] I am a medical cannabis patient. [01:31:56] This is my card. [01:31:58] I did not bring my medicine. [01:32:00] Do you mind if I walk us over to show to Chief? [01:32:03] Yeah, I just can't hear you over that mic. [01:32:04] You're not speaking into the mic. [01:32:06] I couldn't hear what you said. [01:32:08] That's what they look like, Chief. [01:32:09] Okay. [01:32:10] You need to know what they look like, right? [01:32:11] Oh, thank you. [01:32:17] In February, I finished my 90 days [01:32:21] and I went to see the doctor at Doc MJ [01:32:25] and gained my recommendation [01:32:28] because of fibromyalgia and PTSD. [01:32:33] So since then, when I first started [01:32:37] as a medical cannabis patient [01:32:39] from the True Relief Dispensary, [01:32:41] I was taking seven prescriptions to control my pain [01:32:46] as well as other side effects, if you will, [01:32:48] that were caused from those pills. [01:32:52] And since February, [01:32:54] I have eliminated down to two prescriptions, [01:32:58] high blood pressure, [01:33:00] and tomorrow I'll find out if I get to eliminate [01:33:02] the last one and get it down to just one prescription [01:33:07] because everything I can control. [01:33:09] As a medical cannabis patient in New Port Richey [01:33:13] who works in Palm Harbor, [01:33:16] I would like to have access to pick up my medication [01:33:21] similar to how we pick up medication from CVS, [01:33:25] similar to where those are located. [01:33:30] For me, I don't want to go someplace [01:33:33] that's next to a tattoo parlor. [01:33:36] I don't have any tattoos. [01:33:38] Heaven forbid, they might come out and try to sell me one. [01:33:41] Who knows? [01:33:44] So as far as the zoning goes, [01:33:48] which is what I think we are here for tonight, [01:33:52] I just ask that you zone this, [01:33:55] I think it was C2, was it the C2 zone, [01:33:58] that is not next to the tattoo parlors. [01:34:04] Just to be clear, so we can clear it up right away, [01:34:10] the way that the ordinance is now, [01:34:13] you have to be 500 feet away from all of those other uses [01:34:19] and parks and schools. [01:34:22] So you won't have a tattoo parlor, [01:34:25] a dispensary or a wellness, [01:34:28] whatever title they want to give it, [01:34:30] they won't be next to each other. [01:34:32] That's what we tried to do a year and a half ago [01:34:35] to make sure we didn't get one shopping center [01:34:39] that had six of them back to back [01:34:41] because they have to be overseen [01:34:45] and there's some other things. [01:34:46] So you don't want it to be similar [01:34:48] than to have a CVS on this corner [01:34:50] and a Walgreens on this corner like we currently have. [01:34:53] But I don't want to say never, [01:34:55] but yeah, at the moment, [01:34:57] just wanted to clear up that misunderstanding [01:35:01] about the placement of trying to find the right locations. [01:35:06] And right now, they're allowed [01:35:08] in what we call our highway commercial, [01:35:10] which would be Highway 19, [01:35:12] and our C2, which has key intersections [01:35:15] around New Port Richey. [01:35:17] So I just wanted to make sure [01:35:18] because it seems like we've heard it a couple of times, [01:35:21] but appreciate that, thank you. [01:35:23] Yeah, I just wanted to thank you for the clarification. [01:35:26] That's just about all I have. [01:35:30] I'm pretty active in the movement as well here in Florida. [01:35:36] I drive the gold F-150. [01:35:38] I call it the Free the Leaf 2018 F-150. [01:35:41] I just finished traversing the entire state of Florida [01:35:45] over the last week. [01:35:46] It's our holiday week, if you will. [01:35:49] Went to Tallahassee and saw what was going on with Amendment 2. [01:35:54] And I am just here tonight to just ask you guys [01:35:57] to please just consider all of the patients [01:36:02] as well as all of the children as well. [01:36:06] We want to keep, of course, [01:36:07] this out of the hands of children. [01:36:08] It's just like anything else when it comes to medication. [01:36:13] But I really feel strongly about not wanting [01:36:19] to get my medication from seedy neighborhoods, if you will. [01:36:23] And just for my own safety, [01:36:26] we've throughout the decades of growing up [01:36:29] and going to the black market, [01:36:31] that's a very dangerous situation that people are put in. [01:36:35] And with the proper zoning, [01:36:38] I think that we can remove a lot of those dangers for people. [01:36:42] Thank you. [01:36:43] Thank you. [01:36:44] Next, John. [01:36:48] Thank you. [01:36:53] Hello. [01:36:55] My name is Mary Young. [01:36:57] I reside in New Port Richey. [01:36:59] In the 1970s, I was born at West Pasco Hospital, [01:37:03] now known as Morton Plant North Bay Hospital. [01:37:07] And my childhood began on Florida Ave. [01:37:10] I have lived in West Pasco for most of my life. [01:37:14] At age 13, I began vomiting everything I ingested. [01:37:19] My mom took me to the pediatrician [01:37:20] on River Road to seek answers. [01:37:23] I have Crohn's disease [01:37:25] and have been on pharmaceuticals for the past 25 years. [01:37:30] My life of prescribed drugs became so normal [01:37:32] that I rarely thought twice about the known side effects. [01:37:37] Steroids were my gateway drug. [01:37:41] I have taken prescribed prednisone, sulfasalazine, [01:37:46] Asacol, Lealda, Ciproflagyl combo, [01:37:49] 6-MP, which is a chemotherapy drug, [01:37:53] Lamodil, codeine sulfate, Vicodin, [01:37:55] Percocet, Dilaudid, Xanax, Remicade, [01:37:58] and yes, I've injected myself with Humira. [01:38:02] Years ago, after my despair with pharmaceutical side effects, [01:38:05] I reached out online and was told to try cannabis. [01:38:09] That conversation led me to begin ingesting cannabis oil. [01:38:14] I felt nearly cured, better than I had in years, [01:38:20] but I decided the risk wasn't worth the price I'd pay [01:38:23] if I was caught. [01:38:25] I decided to use steroids to treat my condition again [01:38:28] when I began to flare. [01:38:30] I remained on steroids for years. [01:38:34] I was finally able to come off of them in July of 2016. [01:38:39] I've been preparing myself for legal access to cannabis oil [01:38:43] as a safe natural alternative that will allow me [01:38:46] to live a life with my husband and four young children [01:38:51] without the possible side effects of lymphoma or even death [01:38:56] like those of the prescribed drugs [01:38:58] that I've been allowed by law to take. [01:39:01] Years ago, I was a certified pharmacy technician [01:39:04] for Walgreens in New Port Richey. [01:39:07] I would often read patient package inserts. [01:39:10] I became very aware of the known side effects. [01:39:13] That job helped teach me to be more informed [01:39:16] about what goes into my body. [01:39:18] Through major diet changes, I have been able to maintain [01:39:21] on very little medication. [01:39:24] Currently, I take prescribed Lealda, [01:39:26] an herbal supplement called Boswellia, [01:39:29] probiotics, and vitamin D drops. [01:39:32] I want nothing more than to treat my condition [01:39:35] with natural remedies. [01:39:37] How is it that I can find a Walgreens [01:39:39] on most street corners, [01:39:40] including our very own US 19 and Main Street? [01:39:44] I can also walk across the street from there [01:39:47] and get liquor from one of the bars. [01:39:50] These are places that I can obtain lethal products from. [01:39:54] Did you know that Walgreens can dispense cocaine? [01:39:59] A medical marijuana dispensary, in my opinion, [01:40:02] is no different than a health food store. [01:40:05] There has never been a reported death [01:40:07] from overdosing on marijuana. [01:40:09] Also, I doubt you'll have to worry [01:40:11] about noise ordinance complaints with a dispensary [01:40:14] like those of the local bars. [01:40:17] It is not easy for me to go anywhere too far from home [01:40:20] without getting anxiety. [01:40:22] Why should I have to drive to Clearwater for medicine [01:40:25] when my hometown has the ability to help me [01:40:28] and many others that are living in this city? [01:40:32] Please allow us access to a dispensary, [01:40:34] and I'd also like you to begin considering [01:40:37] decriminalizing marijuana. [01:40:39] Thank you for your time. [01:40:40] Thank you. [01:40:41] Thank you. [01:40:42] Thank you. [01:40:43] Thank you. [01:40:44] Thank you. [01:40:52] John Cain, 6041 Florida Avenue. [01:40:56] You know, it's interesting, anytime cannabis comes up, [01:41:01] I'm always amazed at the interest and the fear [01:41:07] and the amount of people that come out. [01:41:09] And, you know, I remember when all these little pharmacies [01:41:14] started opening up in our town. [01:41:16] And I was, I mean, they were popping up. [01:41:18] I mean, my route was only five square miles, [01:41:21] and I must have had 12 pharmacies popping up. [01:41:25] And then I started seeing all the plates coming in [01:41:28] from out of state and everywhere, [01:41:30] and pills just getting moved. [01:41:32] And, you know, we didn't have this attention. [01:41:35] Nobody quite, nobody, we didn't have a big town meetings. [01:41:38] Nobody said a word until kids started dying, [01:41:41] till my youngest daughter lost three of her friends. [01:41:45] I'm always amazed. [01:41:46] I'm just giving you an observation as somebody. [01:41:49] I like to look at things and I question, [01:41:51] and, you know, guns, guns, we love guns in this state. [01:41:57] Now they're talking about you should, [01:41:58] we want to let you bring them to school [01:42:00] because if you have a gun in school [01:42:02] and somebody that comes in to shoot, [01:42:05] kid, you have a chance to protect yourself. [01:42:07] So now they're talking about in the upper grades [01:42:10] and in colleges allowing you to carry guns. [01:42:13] No issue, no problem, no workshops, no big attention, [01:42:17] no feet dragging, Tallahassee has no issue with it. [01:42:21] But when we bring up cannabis, my God, [01:42:26] isn't it something, a plant and people go berserk. [01:42:30] It's interesting phenomena. [01:42:32] You know, if you, I would ask you to go online [01:42:37] and look up Carnegie and Rockefeller [01:42:39] and their connection to cannabis. [01:42:41] It's very interesting. [01:42:43] Cannabis, when we were only 13 colonies in this country, [01:42:49] there were 160,000 registered hemp farms. [01:42:53] You were required to grow some hemp at one time. [01:42:56] I mean, it's just really incredible [01:42:58] that at some point in time, when 1937 came around [01:43:02] and they realized that it could be used for textile, [01:43:05] for fuel, for medicine, that it was gonna really [01:43:08] put a big crimp into a lot of people's pockets, [01:43:13] they decided that this wasn't something they wanted. [01:43:17] And so as a result, a lot of people [01:43:19] are under misconceptions about cannabis. [01:43:21] They're under misconception. [01:43:23] I heard someone before, and I forget who it was, [01:43:26] referring to plants, even herbs can be poisonous. [01:43:30] And that's true. [01:43:31] But cannabis is not one of them. [01:43:33] There's no toxicity level. [01:43:35] It's really interesting. [01:43:38] I don't know who's coming from Israel, [01:43:40] but the oldest research, and I always have a problem [01:43:44] pronouncing his last name, Dr. Raphael Mishula, thank you. [01:43:51] He was the one that isolated THC. [01:43:53] He's the one that's been working on this forever. [01:43:57] Really interesting, the list of conditions [01:44:00] that could be treated with no toxic side effects. [01:44:04] You can eat. [01:44:05] You can go to the bathroom. [01:44:07] You can control your pain. [01:44:10] You can combat depression. [01:44:12] You can combat nausea. [01:44:15] You can combat anxiety. [01:44:17] Right now, the VA, because of the federal government [01:44:21] are shuffling their feet. [01:44:22] We have veterans, which I have a personal interest in. [01:44:26] I myself am a combat veteran. [01:44:30] We have veterans blowing their brains out on a daily basis. [01:44:34] The antidepressants do not work. [01:44:36] They do not work. [01:44:37] They make it worse. [01:44:38] And you will hear this from these families [01:44:41] that have their husbands and sons come home [01:44:43] and they say, you know, he was on the cannabis. [01:44:46] He was doing fine, but he went to the VA for his checkup. [01:44:49] They found it and they told him he had to stop [01:44:51] otherwise he's going to get in trouble. [01:44:53] So we stopped. [01:44:54] He went back on the antidepressants [01:44:55] and now we killed himself. [01:44:58] You know, at what point in time? [01:45:00] Are we going to stop with this hypocritical boo-hooing of this plant [01:45:05] that almost everybody has used at one point or another in their life? [01:45:10] It's not the demon, it's nothing to be afraid of. [01:45:13] The only thing I would suggest here to you that I would like to say, [01:45:17] I really don't want to see this put in an industrial park. [01:45:20] I don't know what the zoning says now or how it reads now, [01:45:24] but one thing I've learned about zoning, [01:45:26] coming to zoning meetings and things recently, [01:45:29] no matter what the zoning says, it could be changed. [01:45:32] It really doesn't matter what it says or what is supposed to be there. [01:45:37] We could change it. [01:45:38] So I would say stick with this to a professional level. [01:45:43] Keep it with medicine. It's medicine. [01:45:45] So let's keep it that way. [01:45:47] Let's keep it close to doctors so people could see their doctor [01:45:50] and then maybe go get medicine as opposed to going, [01:45:54] you know, next to a, you know, 500 feet close to a tattoo parlor or something. [01:45:59] It's really inappropriate. [01:46:02] So thank you for your time. [01:46:03] Thank you, John. [01:46:04] I promised everybody we were going to take a little break about 6.30. [01:46:10] It's now quarter to 7. [01:46:11] Why don't we take a 15-minute break and we'll come back. [01:46:13] If anybody else wants to talk, we'll listen until we run out of people. [01:46:24] Thank you for allowing us to take a little bit of a break here. [01:46:31] Anyone else wish to address council? [01:46:36] Come on down. [01:46:37] Give us your name and address for the record, please. [01:46:39] Good evening. [01:46:45] My name is Gary Stein. [01:46:47] I live in Wesley Chapel at 7035 Belt Link Loop. [01:46:52] And first off, I'd like to say that I do live in Wesley Chapel, [01:46:55] but there are so many days I wish I lived in New Port Richey. [01:46:59] That can be arranged. [01:47:02] Great housing values over here. [01:47:04] Absolutely. [01:47:05] I moved there 10 years ago and we have a half-finished athletics complex. [01:47:12] We have a mall that took 10 years to build, [01:47:15] the first three or four years just to get the turtles out. [01:47:18] And I see so much more happening in New Port Richey. [01:47:21] I see you guys have a lot more care for not only your city and your buildings, [01:47:26] but also your constituents. [01:47:28] And I'll grant you, Wesley Chapel is not a city, [01:47:31] but New Port Richey really is one in so many ways. [01:47:34] And that's why I'm so happy to be here to possibly help you out in regards [01:47:38] to these difficult decisions we have to make in regards to zoning. [01:47:41] I think one of the things we really need to discuss is basically, [01:47:44] why are we here and why is this an issue in the first place? [01:47:48] I mean, this cannabis is a medicine which has been around for 4,000 years. [01:47:54] It was a medicine from so many cultures, [01:47:56] for so many different people, for all the ages. [01:47:59] And all of a sudden, in 1937, it went from being a standard medicine, [01:48:03] which was part of the pharmacopoeia, to the devil's weed. [01:48:07] And that was a mistake. [01:48:08] It was a giant mistake. [01:48:10] In fact, the health of the world has actually suffered during that time. [01:48:14] There was a 1947 paper which stated the fact that it does treat epilepsy. [01:48:18] It does treat seizures. [01:48:21] And that particular paper was squelched. [01:48:24] So many beautiful brains have fried since 1937, [01:48:29] because this medicine was illegal. [01:48:32] It should never have been so. [01:48:33] But there was a campaign of misinformation [01:48:35] that was basically based on racist attitudes. [01:48:38] They actually used the word marijuana instead of cannabis, [01:48:41] because marijuana was a slang word that the Mexican peasantry was using. [01:48:46] Nobody else in the whole world knew about it at that point in time. [01:48:49] Marijuana was just a word that Pancho Villa and his friends were using, [01:48:53] because that was the slang word that they used. [01:48:55] Kind of like people use the words weed and pot. [01:48:58] And by the way, if anybody uses the word pot nowadays, [01:49:01] they really are trying to throw you back into the 1960s and before. [01:49:05] If they use the word pot shops, well, [01:49:07] the only pot shop I know about is Pottery Barn. [01:49:10] And that's not what we're talking about. [01:49:12] We're talking about dispensaries. [01:49:13] Dispensaries are a place where you can get this medicine, [01:49:16] which can treat things like ALS. [01:49:18] I know of a lady who's had ALS, [01:49:20] which normally kills people between three and five years, [01:49:22] who has now had it for 35 years. [01:49:25] She is a miracle in place. [01:49:27] I know people who have gone from stage four cancer [01:49:30] to being treated using cannabis only. [01:49:32] I know people who have been treated from Crohn's disease, [01:49:34] who were at 76 degrees and at death's door and in hospice, [01:49:37] and now they're back to working heavy machinery. [01:49:40] This is an absolutely miracle drug by all standards, [01:49:43] but we have a lot of baggage from a lot of misinformation [01:49:45] that went over the last eight decades. [01:49:47] And that's why we're here even talking about this in the first place. [01:49:51] But this, we now know, is a medicine. [01:49:53] And this, we now know, is a medicine that a mother [01:49:55] with a child with epilepsy would be going to pick up. [01:49:59] So you have to ask yourself, where can we put a dispensary [01:50:04] where a mother with children with epilepsy [01:50:06] would want to go pick up their medicine? [01:50:08] Well, for one thing, it has to be on the bus lines. [01:50:10] And thank goodness you in New Port Richey have bus lines. [01:50:13] We in Wesley Chapel, we're not so lucky. [01:50:15] My wife is blind. [01:50:16] There's no way she can go anywhere without my driving her. [01:50:19] So you do have good bus lines, [01:50:20] but it should be also in what I call a family-friendly zone. [01:50:24] Now, I noticed you were mentioning about industrial zones. [01:50:27] Industrial zones are good for industry, [01:50:29] but are they good for people to be walking up to a store [01:50:32] to pick up the medicine they need? [01:50:34] This is not the devil's weed. [01:50:36] And the way we are treating it here in Florida right now, [01:50:38] the way that places like Trulieve [01:50:40] and places like Knox Nurseries are treating it, [01:50:44] it's not a matter of stoners picking up buds [01:50:46] to make weed and to make, [01:50:50] do bees and smoke them and things of that sort. [01:50:52] We're talking about people picking up medicine, [01:50:54] which looks like medicine, smells like medicine. [01:50:56] Things like sublingual tincture, [01:50:58] they put it underneath their tongue. [01:50:59] That stops epilepsy seizures in their place is medicine. [01:51:03] And so you need to make certain [01:51:04] that dispensaries are a place where families can go [01:51:07] to pick up their medicine safely. [01:51:09] And have, I mean, have you ever looked [01:51:11] at the Trulieve dispensaries in the Tampa area? [01:51:15] Big windows right in the front, [01:51:17] you can see inside, and inside it's beautiful. [01:51:19] The architecture looks just like it does in here. [01:51:22] It's not, there's no green neon marijuana leaf, [01:51:25] there's no pictures of Bob Marley, [01:51:27] and there's no smell of marijuana in the air. [01:51:30] It looks and feels like some place [01:51:32] you go to pick up your medicine. [01:51:33] And the way the law is being worked right now, [01:51:36] you'll be picking up a piece of paper [01:51:37] from your doctor who is prescribing this to you, [01:51:40] and take it to your dispensary, [01:51:43] and they will take it exactly the way it's written, [01:51:45] and give it to you as a medicine. [01:51:47] It's not a matter of you saying, [01:51:48] I want a butt of this and I want a butt of that. [01:51:50] It's a matter of picking up medicine, [01:51:52] and that is the way it's going to be treated, [01:51:53] and I'm certain that's the way dispensaries [01:51:55] will look here in New Port Richey. [01:51:58] Now, as far as zoning is concerned, [01:52:02] C1 or C2 is fine. [01:52:04] It is essentially, it should be treated like a pharmacy, [01:52:06] like any CVS, like any Walmart, [01:52:09] because essentially a dispensary is a pharmacy, [01:52:12] in essence, or like a compounding pharmacy, [01:52:14] if you wish to treat it like that. [01:52:16] But you should know, the IS came from Tallahassee, [01:52:19] and they have not finished the laws yet. [01:52:22] And I used to work for the Department of Health, [01:52:23] and I know what preemption is all about. [01:52:25] You can work your hardest working on local ordinances, [01:52:28] but you can be preempted by the state. [01:52:31] And right now, they have not finished their work yet. [01:52:33] So understand how you want to have a moratorium [01:52:35] until that law has been completed, [01:52:37] until the governor has signed it. [01:52:38] And I fully understand that, [01:52:39] because why would you want to have anybody [01:52:41] start putting money into a facility [01:52:43] that they can't use because the laws will change? [01:52:46] So be aware that right now, [01:52:49] the House just put in an amendment [01:52:50] which states that you cannot zone a dispensary [01:52:53] with anything more lenient than alcohol, [01:52:55] which is what you're talking about [01:52:56] as far as C2 is concerned. [01:52:58] So be aware what they're doing in Tallahassee, [01:53:01] but be prudent and take care of your constituents [01:53:03] and put those dispensaries [01:53:05] where you'd want to have a family pick up your medicine. [01:53:07] And I thank you. [01:53:08] Thank you. [01:53:09] Thank you. [01:53:13] Anyone else? [01:53:15] One more. [01:53:16] One more, okay. [01:53:17] Hi there. [01:53:18] Thank you. [01:53:20] My name is Robert Roundtree. [01:53:22] I'm on the board of a few different charities [01:53:23] that deal with cannabis patients. [01:53:26] The one that I'm here to speak with you about today [01:53:28] is Buds for Vets. [01:53:29] We deal with veterans. [01:53:31] And I'm a Navy veteran. [01:53:33] I conducted combat support missions, [01:53:35] and today I chose to speak about how I'm more targeted [01:53:37] towards veterans than I am towards cannabis patients. [01:53:40] So I'm going to talk a little bit about [01:53:42] how I'm more targeted towards veterans [01:53:44] than I am towards cannabis patients. [01:53:46] And I'm going to speak about how a moratorium [01:53:48] and poor zoning will affect the veteran population [01:53:50] of New Port Richey, Florida. [01:53:53] Since using cannabis exclusively, [01:53:55] I have got off of over 10 prescription drugs [01:53:58] and a daily usage of up to 180 to 300 milligrams of oxycodone. [01:54:03] This plant saved my life. [01:54:05] It saved thousands of veterans' lives, mostly illegally. [01:54:09] Not providing full access will force veterans like myself [01:54:11] and those I represent to continue to illegally heal. [01:54:16] These two words should never be associated together. [01:54:20] What would it mean to the people on this committee [01:54:22] if you had to illegally heal yourself or your family member? [01:54:25] I'm sure you would do it. [01:54:27] Not providing safe, convenient access on par with drugstores [01:54:30] will negatively affect veterans in this part of the state. [01:54:33] Not providing the same level of access and availability [01:54:35] that synthetic pharmaceutical companies enjoy [01:54:38] will cause untold numbers of veterans [01:54:40] to not get the medicine that oftentimes [01:54:42] is the only thing that works. [01:54:44] In Florida, we have 1.5 million veterans. [01:54:47] 20% of veterans, according to the RAND report, [01:54:49] have PTSD coming home from combat operations right now. [01:54:53] 3% of all veterans have PTSD. [01:54:56] That's roughly 300,000 veterans in Florida with PTSD. [01:54:59] A huge portion could be served by New Port Richey, [01:55:01] with the proper zoning and allowance [01:55:03] for dispensing organizations to open storefronts [01:55:05] like they want to. [01:55:07] This includes your constituents [01:55:08] and those that would come here instead of Clearwater or Tampa, [01:55:10] as many people have already testified. [01:55:12] Limiting access to this medicine [01:55:15] will result in an increase in the number of PTSD-related deaths [01:55:18] in this state, especially in this area. [01:55:20] Limiting it will also cause opioid deaths to go up. [01:55:24] The limiting access and not providing proper zoning [01:55:28] for us to get our medication, [01:55:29] similar to where we get it from pharmacies, [01:55:33] CVS, Publix, hospitals, mom-and-pop places, [01:55:40] it's just going to cause people like me [01:55:42] to continue to do illegal things. [01:55:44] I'm a legal patient, 2373. [01:55:47] Most of the people I know that are veterans [01:55:48] are illegally healing themselves. [01:55:50] Without stores, it's going to also force a delivery model. [01:55:53] Delivery model will increase costs, [01:55:55] costs to the patients, costs to the dispensaries, [01:55:57] costs to the taxpayers. [01:56:00] Just like the NOXREP said, it costs $25. [01:56:02] This is an undue burden to force patients to shoulder [01:56:04] every time they have to fill their medication [01:56:06] that's saving their lives. [01:56:08] A delivery model will also shorten [01:56:09] the availability of medication, [01:56:11] thereby forcing veterans to break the law [01:56:13] or continue toxic synthetic pharmaceutical compounds [01:56:17] that have been fractioned off from organic molecules. [01:56:20] Many veterans are on fixed incomes [01:56:22] and cannot afford the financial impact [01:56:23] this will have on accessing their medication. [01:56:26] Veterans come back after fighting for our freedoms [01:56:28] to have this representative democracy I'm speaking to, [01:56:32] and we lose benefits for using cannabis. [01:56:34] For many veterans, cannabis is the only option. [01:56:36] For many families, it's the difference of living and dying. [01:56:39] How do we restrict such a healing part of humanity? [01:56:42] 100 veterans a day die from PTSD-related issues. [01:56:45] This includes suicide, accidental overdose, [01:56:47] and accidents associated with intoxication [01:56:50] of various pharmaceutical drugs. [01:56:53] We need help. We are not suffering. [01:56:55] We're patients, not criminals. [01:56:57] Thank you. [01:56:58] Thank you. [01:57:00] Thank you. [01:57:01] Thank you. [01:57:05] All right. [01:57:06] Well, I guess that concludes our speakers. [01:57:07] I just want to hope you guys were satisfied [01:57:09] with what we brought. [01:57:10] Thank you. [01:57:11] We did form a group. [01:57:12] It's called Pasco County for Cannabis. [01:57:14] And we have a Facebook. [01:57:15] And you guys, any questions ever, [01:57:17] you can just contact us through there, [01:57:18] and we'll do the best we can do to answer it. [01:57:21] We're going to be contacting all the... [01:57:23] I've been talking to all the counties already [01:57:25] and cities already, [01:57:26] so I'll just tell them to refer to that. [01:57:28] And provide you with as much information [01:57:29] so you guys feel comfortable [01:57:30] and make the best decisions on it and all that. [01:57:32] Thank you. [01:57:33] Anybody else? [01:57:34] I was just going to ask, [01:57:35] is there anyone else in the audience [01:57:37] that wanted to address this? [01:57:39] I think we pretty much covered it. [01:57:41] I think you know how the chief of police feels about it. [01:57:43] Me too. [01:57:44] Come on up. [01:57:45] You have a microphone right there. [01:57:46] We'll let him deal with it on his own terms. [01:57:51] But thank you very much. [01:57:53] No problem. [01:57:54] With this, we're going to bring it back to council. [01:57:57] We've got another one of these workshops [01:58:01] that will be coming up on May 31st. [01:58:03] Hopefully the legislature [01:58:07] will get their collective act together [01:58:09] between now and then. [01:58:11] I guess between now and a week from Friday they need to. [01:58:16] So hopefully we'll have better direction on that. [01:58:22] I'm just going to kick this off [01:58:25] and tell you where I am right now. [01:58:26] Certainly it's subject to change [01:58:29] before we get through the second public hearing [01:58:33] and we get into actually drafting the ordinance changes. [01:58:38] But my inclination right now [01:58:42] is that we ought to be treating this [01:58:44] like any other medical facility. [01:58:46] I do not want to see us putting it out [01:58:53] in an industrial park or anywhere else. [01:58:55] That makes no sense whatsoever. [01:58:58] If one of these facilities winds up in New Port Richey, [01:59:05] it would be nice if it was next to the doctors [01:59:08] that are going to sit there issuing the scripts [01:59:11] so that people can walk next door and do it. [01:59:13] I do want to go down and see Trulief in person. [01:59:15] The pictures of both that and Knox were quite impressive. [01:59:20] I think we're making way too much over this. [01:59:28] I do have concerns about what ultimately [01:59:32] I think we're going to be seeing in a year or two [01:59:36] because I fully expect that the recreational medical marijuana [01:59:41] is going to be a topic, [01:59:45] particularly depending on who runs for governor in 2018. [01:59:49] I'm not ready to even try to get my head around that at this point. [01:59:54] But as far as the medical, [01:59:57] I think we ought to treat it like a medical facility. [02:00:00] facility. Mr. Starkey? Oh, I agree. It's funny, on my way here, I have some certain news companies [02:00:08] that pop up, headline news on my phone, and the one that popped up on my drive was a USA [02:00:12] Today article. It's on their website right now. The title of the article is, Marijuana [02:00:16] May Be a Miracle Treatment for Children with Autism. I mean, just think about that out [02:00:22] of Israel, and I know Mr. Angel's back and forth to Israel quite a bit, and I think we [02:00:28] are lucky to have someone that's a leader in the industry right here in our backyard [02:00:32] to rely on for guidance as to where this industry is going on a worldwide basis. I think as [02:00:39] a council, I think since I've been up here, I consider our current city council that's [02:00:44] pretty much been the same council, with the exception of Mayor Consalvo, for the first [02:00:48] year I was up here, as being progressive thinkers on all aspects of what we're trying to do [02:00:53] with our city. The last thing we want to do is put a wellness center, I prefer that [02:00:59] term, rather than dispensary, in the shady part of New Port Richey where a mother of [02:01:05] children doesn't feel safe going to. I think another point that we need to bring up here, [02:01:10] we were given a lot of information in our packet here, and let me bring it up here. [02:01:16] The CBD oils, I mean, the only way you qualify for full THC strength, medical marijuana in [02:01:23] Florida based on the current guidelines, is if you're terminally ill. So, I mean, I [02:01:29] think the opinion on a lot of uneducated people, the attorney from Knox did a phenomenal job [02:01:36] showing the big marijuana signs lit up in neon signs, I think a lot of people have that [02:01:42] in their head, that's what it's going to look like, and I once again commend Lisa and her [02:01:46] staff for going and doing the research with the dispensaries, showing us photos, they're [02:01:50] going to be professional office buildings, just like a professional pharmacy, not a run [02:01:56] down pharmacy that we've seen all throughout West Pasco, and we have to think progressively [02:02:01] on this. I don't see, it's just been made to be a much larger deal than it really is, [02:02:08] it's medicine, I have no idea what type of cures cannabis is going to bring in the years [02:02:16] to come, but just by talking to Garen, I've known Garen for 15 years, my wife grew up [02:02:21] with Garen and his family, you know, he's educated me more than any pamphlet that's [02:02:25] been sent to me via email, and the sky's the limit on what cannabis can do from what I've [02:02:31] seen based on my research, and we have to continue to be progressive thinkers up here [02:02:35] in council, if we say we don't want dispensaries in our city, it's sending the wrong message, [02:02:40] it's telling people they can't get medicine, opioids kill people on a daily basis, everyone [02:02:44] says that, everybody knows that, our country's allowed that epidemic to take over and kill, [02:02:50] and I've read so many articles about a cheerleader twisting her ankle and becoming a prostitute [02:02:55] three years later and dying, you know, a soccer player on the high school field broke his [02:02:59] leg and addicted opioids and his life is over, it's just one horror story after another, [02:03:05] cannabis doesn't do that in my opinion, and I agree with everything the mayor said, I'm [02:03:09] very excited about having professional wellness centers in our city, so Pasco County residents [02:03:15] that live in Dade City, they may not have one next to them, can come here if they need [02:03:19] to and visit our beautiful city, we're doing a lot of great things in our city, this is [02:03:23] just one small part of it, I do think the mayor said he'd like to wait a year, I think [02:03:27] we should have the discussion as far as decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in our next work [02:03:32] session, it's not going away, I'm not saying we're going to vote in favor of that, but [02:03:38] we need to have the discussion at this point, and there's a lot I could go on and go on, [02:03:41] but I think we're pretty much, from what I've seen, on the same page here with this one. [02:03:45] I would not object to having that discussion either, but I think the current topic, which [02:03:50] is the one of getting the zoning set up correctly for the facilities that are going to be making [02:03:57] this available is a prime comment, and opioids are bad news, my mom broke her hip, some of [02:04:05] you know, back early January, and they gave her some really interesting things while she [02:04:12] was in the hospital, and there's nothing that even psychoactive marijuana could possibly [02:04:23] do that would make anybody any stranger that she was when she was under the influence of [02:04:30] the meds that they gave her in the hospital, they were seriously bad news, and the first [02:04:35] thing we did in getting her out was getting her weaned off of that stuff. [02:04:42] Councilman Phillips, thoughts? [02:04:44] Yeah, thank you Mr. Mayor, I think we've been proactive on the front side of this already [02:04:52] because we've already, in our existing ordinances already, we're allowing it in C2, we're allowing [02:04:59] it in highway commercial, so for people to tag along that we had any thoughts of putting [02:05:09] it in an industrial site, I don't know, you know, I think maybe the comparison tonight [02:05:15] was when we had to deal with adult use, but we're not comparing the two together. [02:05:21] What I would like to see is we've already drawn the circles around those other uses [02:05:26] that we've tandem to the dispensaries, the wellness centers, the treatment centers, whatever [02:05:34] moniker you want to put on them, then we've also identified the parks, the schools and [02:05:40] all that. [02:05:41] What I'd like to see is I'd like to see the areas drawn so I know where they would be [02:05:48] available to sit, and then we can collectively look and make a decision on where we think [02:05:58] within the city that they could be, 19, would there be one or two? [02:06:05] I don't know tonight, can't tell you, saw the stuff up on the screen and I appreciate [02:06:10] you tried to do everything you can because we ask it because people already came here [02:06:14] with some preconceived notions the first time they came, and tonight that there's [02:06:20] some preconceived notions that we don't want to embrace this, we do, we're very compassionate, [02:06:26] we want to give everybody the medical avenues possible to deal with all of the things that [02:06:34] they're approaching. [02:06:35] And we may not approach it in our families tonight, but we may in the future. [02:06:39] So I'd like to know zone wise if I can put two on 19, I can put one on Mass Avenue over [02:06:47] by North Bay, I probably can't put it right next to North Bay because I've got a school, [02:06:53] I've got some other things, but I give you locale, and the other thing is I've got the [02:06:57] city of New Port Richey and I've got the county. [02:07:02] They dovetail right next to us in a lot of areas. [02:07:06] They need to be big boys and big girls themselves and they need to decide, instead of saying [02:07:11] two for the county, that's a little bit arbitrary, but I just want to be able to look and see [02:07:18] because I think that we ought to think proactively ahead in that if we are having a redevelopment [02:07:25] in the Marine District and we are bringing medical use to that, we've already got the [02:07:31] psychiatric ward there from HCA, but if we really want to embrace and let the veterans [02:07:40] know that we want them to place their VA facility in our backyard in our Marine District, we [02:07:47] ought to say up front that if that development happens, we ought to have a dispensary, a [02:07:57] treatment center, whatever, adjacent to that because on top of that, I want the head trauma [02:08:02] next to it. [02:08:03] I want the other things that go along with those veteran services because I believe that [02:08:09] giving that look into us that we are compassionate, that we want to place these services to make [02:08:18] them accessible, especially for the lady that's going to Palm Harbor who has to drive back. [02:08:25] I want her to be able to not have come home and then have to go back to Clearwater to [02:08:28] get her medication or whatever she needs. [02:08:33] I don't want to dovetail the decriminalization with this. [02:08:38] I want to deal with this issue because it's legally been voted on by the citizens of the [02:08:44] state of Florida. [02:08:47] I'm not opposed to talking about the decriminalization. [02:08:51] I need more information just like on this, and I asked the chief to provide, which we [02:08:56] were provided with, the number of arrests in the last year or so for individuals charged [02:09:05] with possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and that was 129. [02:09:11] I don't know if that's 129 against all the other statistics, but I also want to know [02:09:16] the other impacts that it has, and to only tie it for what it does against our kids and [02:09:23] all that, but I do want to have the conversation because the more you talk about it, the more [02:09:29] education you get, and then we all have to get ready and be somewhat forward thinking [02:09:37] that if in 2018 the recreational marijuana thing happens, the councils that are here [02:09:43] after that get to work on that avenue. [02:09:48] I can't legalize it now. [02:09:50] I can't not legalize it, but I also have to be cognizant of what it can do, so what I'm [02:09:58] saying is I'd like to identify the zones where we could place the dispensaries, and that's [02:10:04] the term they use, so that we can make an educated decision on where we'd like to place [02:10:10] now and where we could place later, because I think if you already have things thought [02:10:16] out, then people know that you're thinking about it long-term, not just in the macro, [02:10:23] and where it best is available, so that when somebody comes to New Port Richey, they understand [02:10:31] that we like people that want to talk about the arts. [02:10:35] Somebody talks about football, that went to Gulf High, that went to Hudson High, whatever. [02:10:42] I just want people to understand that we're a city of a lot of different individuals, [02:10:48] and we like to embrace as many lawful ones as possible and try to deal with some of the [02:10:56] issues that we have, so the conversation's good. [02:10:59] I want to know the location map so that it's publicized, so we know what it backs up against, [02:11:05] so that we can all be on the same page as we make decisions about location, availability, [02:11:13] and compassion and compassion. [02:11:15] Mr. Phillips, thank you very well put. [02:11:19] One thing I would ask Ms. Fierce to do as she's getting that map together, showing possible [02:11:25] spaces is also with varying exclusion distances, because your point about the VA is extraordinarily [02:11:35] well taken, because it is sitting smack next to Gulf High School, which under the current [02:11:43] plan might exclude that area. [02:11:46] You could take it to Gulf Drive, but you have Swetman, you could come down further.

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3. 3Adjournment▶ 2:11:50