A possible plan to regulate medical marijuana in St. Augustine Beach would pertain only to places allowed to legally grow, posses and sell it.
Officials said part of their goal is to prohibit the resale of the marijuana after it’s been dispensed.
They said a St. Augustine Beach ordinance would be similar to the city’s existing liquor law.
“We want to have the same accountability, we don’t want people to abuse it,” St. Augustine Beach Police Chief Robert Hardwick said.
He noted there are currently no dispensaries in St. Johns County.
Under the plan, an approved business allowed to provide medical marijuana would have to be less than 8,000 square feet in size and must be inside a shopping center.
City officials said this would prevent so-called stand-alone pot shops. A shopping center’s landlord would decide whether or not to rent that space to a medical marijuana dispensary.
Right now in St. Augustine Beach, there is only one liquor store because of those regulations.
Neighbors wanting to weigh in waited more than 3 1/2 hours to speak with the commission.
“This is just a stepping stone to recreational marijuana, and there’s big money to be made when it's expanded,” medical marijuana opponent Lynnette Horwath said.
“I think it’s important that the city takes an approach that falls in line with the constitutional amendment that’s been passed but falls in line with their regulation they have,” medical marijuana supporter Isaiah Abenchuchan said.
Tuesday’s meeting did not include discussion about any sort of possible moratorium.