In response to the legalization of medical marijuana in Florida, a number of cities have announced they will pass local laws banning dispensaries.

According to the Sun Sentinel, cities like Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton have temporarily banned marijuana dispensaries and treatment centers until they can assess the effects on the community and establish zoning regulations.

Hollywood and North Palm Beach are also considering temporary bans and other regulations.

“We owe it to our residents and the people of our city to understand the implications of it,” Christine Thrower, the manager for the Village of Golf, told the newspaper.

Cities, however, do not impose such restrictions on large corporate pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.

Despite the fact 70% of Floridians voted in favor of medical marijuana, there is resistance in the state to accepting the plant as medicine.

“The department will follow the will of the voters,” said Florida Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Gambineri after the landmark amendment passed. “The constitutional amendment goes into effect on Jan. 3, 2017. Until then current law stands.”

Lawmakers are prepared to complicate legalization with tight regulation. They will establish a new set of laws for a larger medical marijuana program with a certain number of licenses available for growers, dispensaries and others in the industry, reports the Miami Herald.

Voters in North Dakota and Arkansas also approved medical marijuana initiatives, while voters in California, Massachusetts, and Nevada went one step further and approved recreational marijuana initiatives.

Marijuana legalization is now being considered in other parts of the country.

“Marijuana legalization has arrived on the East Coast,” Tom Angell of the marijuana reform group Marijuana Majority told The Washington Post after the election. “What Colorado and other states have already done is generating revenue, creating jobs and reducing crime, so it’s not surprising that voters in more places are eager to end prohibition.”

Sources

Sun Sentinel

Miami Herald

The Washington Post