Inverness marijuana ordinance advances

By John Labriola - The Inverness City Council approved on first reading last week an ordinance to prohibit future marijuana dispensaries within city limits. The vote was 4-1, with Councilwoman Jacquie Hefper opposed. If adopted on final reading on July 7, the ordinance would revive a ban first put in place in 2017 but repealed by the city two years later.

The move came six months after Citrus County passed an ordinance to stop additional marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Citrus County, as the Crystal River City Council had done a year earlier within its city limits. When the Inverness City Council last considered the ordinance this February, it decided to instead look into treating marijuana dispensaries as a special exception requiring city approval on a case by case basis, but that option died when the Florida Legislature failed to pass a bill to allow it. 

"We in no way want to restrict the ability of qualified people that medically need this drug," said Councilman Gene Davis, noting the ordinance will not affect any existing dispensaries. "If we had a shortage of sites for people to go in this town, I wouldn't be considering it, but there's plenty of sites for them to go."

Citrus County currently has nine marijuana dispensaries, with two in the City of Inverness and two in the city's immediate outskirts, the Ayr dispensary having opened just two months ago on Highway 44. 

Several residents spoke in favor of the ordinance. None were opposed.

Natalee King, youth drug prevention advocate with the Anti-Drug Coalition of Citrus County, said the proliferation of marijuana dispensaries in Citrus County is making it harder to explain the dangers of the drug to schoolchildren. 

"In the classroom, we are often asked by students, 'Why is marijuana legal if it can be harmful?' Many young people assume that if something is legal, it's safe," she said, adding that  marijuana, with its high levels of THC, has been linked to anxiety, depression, impaired memory, lower academic performance and even psychosis, especially in younger people. "I don't want our children growing up believing marijuana is completely harmless simply because it's everywhere they look. I don't want prevention efforts undermined by overcommercialization, and I don't want Inverness becoming known more for dispensaries than for the values, families and community that make this city special. This is not about punishment. It's about balance, it's about public health and it's about protecting youth while still respecting legitimate medical patients."

One resident, confused by the use of the term "medical marijuana," thought marijuana sold at dispensaries doesn't contain THC, but she was later informed that it does. 

Inverness resident Edgar Rodriguez said he doesn't want the city to become like Wildwood, which has areas with high levels of drug crime.   

"Something I wouldn't like to see is the forces that move through that area to think there's a demand for substances of that sort" in Inverness, he said.

For Councilman Tom Craig, it's a question of protecting the city's image as a "small town done right."

"The biggest issue is our brand," Craig said. "Do we want a medical dispensary on Main Street? We already have two."

Although she voted for the ordinance, Councilwoman Crystal Lizanich said the council should revisit it after a year or two and repeal it if state law allows for special exceptions at that time. The ordinance actually has a "whereas" clause that states it could be repealed when that happens, suggesting some council members may just be trying to get through this year's elections.

Also last week, the county's Planning and Development Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of a rezoning request from Deltona Corporation to allow a data center at Holder Industrial Park. The application is scheduled to be heard by the Citrus County Commission on July 14, but the applicant is requesting the commission postpone its review until November.