Miami To See 1st Medical Marijuana Dispensary Open In City Limits
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A big victory for medical marijuana users. A vote by the City of Miami Commission Thursday morning ends a long legal battle over whether dispensaries should be allowed.
"If you're in the middle of Miami in rush hour traffic, it could take it could be 30-45 minutes," Michael Montouri said.
Montouri has a medical marijuana card and for years he has had to leave the city to get his prescription filled.
"For me and a lot of people it's anxiety related so dealing with that is extremely important," he explained.
Soon he may be able to get medical marijuana closer to where he lives in Miami instead of having to travel to the next city over.
"This was a precedent setting vote in the City of Miami where on a 3-2 vote we are allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Miami for the first time," District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell said.
Commissioner Russell favors giving patients an alternative to getting their medical marijuana, but other commissioners are against it.
Watch: CBS4's Nicole Lauren's report
"This is going to be all over, you're going to see people smoking pot in the street," District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes said.
Some commissioners have even raised concerns about what they say are the drug's harmful effects, but there is no ordinance put in place to regulate or ban dispensaries.
"The city has the option to do it, it has not done that," said Jeff Neiman, an attorney for MRC44.
The company that has been in a long legal dispute with the city for a certificate of use, which was approved to operate at 90 NE 11th St.
"We have our patients now some of them who cannot travel and have to find transportation this would make it easier for them," Dr. Herve Damas told CBS4.
Dr. Damas sees a lot of patients who have cancer at his office in Little Haiti.
"I like the idea that there will be more access hopefully there will be more in communities that need them," he added.
MRC44 will still have to finish paperwork but for now it has the greenlight from Miami.
