Urban County Council passes zoning ordinance for medical marijuana

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Urban County Government met on Thursday to discuss a variety of topics, including amending a section to the code of ordinances to create five medical cannabis business special fees licenses and setting their fees, and a code for defining the terms regarding regulating medical cannabis businesses.

“I’d like to make a motion that we postpone this one, number nine until July 2, on Tuesday,” said council-at-large, Chuck Ellinger.”

The meeting on Thursday for urban county council was to amend certain guidelines on medicinal cannabis businesses, but at the last minute, a push to delay the second reading and a vote.

“I’m here tonight on behalf of about 10 businesses, small businesses that are operating illegally in the B1 zone but they started a number of years ago having U-Haul franchises, those franchises have kept them alive. Now it’s come to the government’s attention that they were supposed to get a conditional use permit to do that, and they didn’t do it,” said Attorney Bruce Simpson.

Applications for medical cannabis businesses from the state will officially become available on Monday, July 1st, six months earlier than expected, but patients can only apply for medical cannabis cards starting January first of next year.

“This has been a very long process, and I think we’ve done the due diligence, and so I’m in favor of moving forward,” added councilmember Shayla Lynch.

Those businesses interested in obtaining a license, will have to pay a fee that’s non-refundable.
And there are different fees for the licenses people can apply for, such as growing, producing and selling.
According to state law no cannabis operation can be within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare.
On Thursday, attorney Simpson vouching for businesses that will be directly impacted by the zoning ordinance.

“I’m simply asking for the opportunity to postpone this until Tuesday, to give me the opportunity to craft a text amendment to allow these small businesses, several of whom are immigrants to our country, the opportunity to continue their family business and to keep the family intact, so they don’t have to relocate,” added Simpson.

During the council meeting, the notion to postpone, “that motion fails,” said council-at-large and vice mayor, Dan Wu.

The ordinance unanimously passed the council.
After the application process, licenses will be given through a lottery process.
The lottery draw will be in October.

To assist applicants, the program has released YouTube webinars and a Business Licensing Application Guide on kymedcan.ky.gov.