Orange County leaders heard public testimony on medical marijuana dispensaries Tuesday, but no decision will be made on two proposed ordinances until later in November.

  • Public hearing on medical marijuana dispensaries
  • Orange planning board recommends ban
  • Final vote on November 14

One ordinance allows medical marijuana dispensaries within unincorporated Orange County.

However, the other ordinance bans dispensaries and that is the ordinance that the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended to the Orange County Commission.

The reason for the ban is that the Planning and Zoning Commission is concerned state law does not allow the county to determine where dispensaries can be located.

State lawmakers passed legislation that says marijuana treatment centers can be set up anywhere a pharmacy like a Walgreens or CVS can.

That is a concern for those worried about dispensaries near the theme parks, schools or churches.

But not everyone on the planning and zoning board voted for the ban.

“There is a dispensary less than a quarter mile from my house and none of the bad things people are afraid of, vagrancy, people smoking weed outside, none of that has happened. It’s a very clean and clinical facility and hasn’t attracted any sort of vagrancy to the neighborhood at all,” said Gordon Spears, District 5 member of the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Both ordinances under consideration would allow cultivating and processing of marijuana.

Twenty-five people signed up to speak before the commission Tuesday. Most were in favor of dispensaries being allowed.  

“With my medications, I am paying an average of $500 a month out of pocket for my medication," Patricia Freitag said. "Now I live on disability. We need access to this medication and we need it in a decent area.”

The county commission will vote on the issue Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.