City Council bans medical marijuana

The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance placing a moratorium on medicinal marijuana practices in Crestview. [MARK JUDSON | News Bulletin]

CRESTVIEW — The City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance to temporarily ban all medicinal marijuana practices within city limits.

City leaders voted Monday, with little discussion, in front of 17 residents who offered no public comment.

HOW THE BAN WORKS

The moratorium takes place immediately and will last until Sept. 1, unless the city approves to end the ban sooner. The ban will cover growing, cultivating, manufacturing, distributing and selling of medicinal marijuana in the city, according to Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard.

“No business license shall be approved for dispensaries during the moratorium and no applications shall be accepted,” Gaillard read from the ordinance.

The ban will allow the city to assess and investigate the effect marijuana and its industry will have in the city, according to Gaillard.

Ordinance 1615, in its second reading in front of the council, passed with little fanfare — no members of the public spoke regarding the measure. This contrasted with heavy council discussion during the ordinance’s initial reading in January.

The moratorium puts Crestview on par with several other cities and counties across the state. Although voters approved a state amendment allowing for medicinal marijuana in November, local municipalities can block the decision.

Many local governments have opted for such a ban until summer, when the state is required to establish specific regulations and guidelines pertaining to medicinal marijuana.

OTHER BUSINESS

Also during Monday’s meeting:

  • Mayor David Cadle announced the retirement of Crestview Fire Chief Joseph Traylor. “Chief Traylor has been a tremendous asset to this city,” Cadle said. “He has raised the standards of that department as one of the finest fire departments in any area across the country.” Traylor has served as the Crestview fire chief since 1993. He previously spent 28 years in the Air Force and was the deputy fire chief for Eglin Air Force Base. “I hate to see all that institutional knowledge go; he knows where everything is,” Cadle joked during the announcement. “If I ask him about something 20 years ago, he goes over and pulls out a newspaper clipping about it.” April 30 will be Traylor's final day as chief.
  • City leaders approved $25,000 for a Crestview Police Department request. The CPD needed three police vehicles — two were budgeted in refurbishing funds but the third was an unexpected cost due to a recent traffic accident. The squad car was totaled during the accident and insurance paid out about $3,000 but CPD still required about $25,000 to ensure its replacement. The council OK’d the amount using an account established for such unexpected incidents.
  • The Main Street Crestview Association formally announced, and displayed in front of the council, the $62,000 private donation check it received in December for construction of a dog park. There is no estimated timeframe or overall cost currently associated with the project, according to Public Services Director Wayne Steele.
  • Cadle gave a brief speech regarding Black History Month, urging all residents to join him in recognizing and celebrating the “outstanding achievements and contributions to our nation” of African-Americans.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City Council bans medical marijuana