Cannabis:

Continued from Page 1 illegally on the street or in states where it’s sale has been legalized, Georgia law stipulates legal low THC oil must contain less than 5 percent THC.

“In recreational cannabis, things you buy on the street more or less, the THC content is typically 19 percent or can be more than 19 percent,” he said. “So, Georgia has really strict regulations comparatively.”

A path opens

The Georgia Hope Act opened two pathways to dispense medical cannabis, Leonhardt said. One path is through the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which deals with standalone dispensaries and is expected to license six operators with some 30 dispensaries statewide.

The second route, the State Board of Pharmacy, has not been fleshed out as of 2022, Leonhardt said.

As part of their research, Dunwoody officials looked at seven Florida municipalities where medical marijuana has been legal since 2014, under much more permissive laws. Their research found that Georgia’s medical cannabis laws could be implemented in the community with minimal impact and risk.

The city also considered the City of Doraville, which passed legislation in 2022 to make dispensaries a special use with a special land use permit, which requires approval from the Doraville Planning Commission and City Council.

After examining these communities, Leonhardt said Dunwoody city staff recommended either moving forward with an ordinance making dispensaries a permitted use or a special use. The first option would be more administrative, while the second option would be more restrictive, similar to Doraville.

Either way, he said they recom - mended adopting requirements in line with state law, with stipulations preventing clustering of the businesses and language to prevent consumption of cannabis on the premises of potential businesses.

Council members react

After Leonhardt’s presentation, Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch and the City Council shared largely positive feedback, mixed with a few questions, comments and concerns.

“To me, this is a narrow law written to provide essentially a drug for people with chronic medical conditions,” Post 2 Councilman Robb Price said. “Do we want our citizens to be able to access that if they have those conditions? I think, yes. So I think we do want to figure out a way for something like this to be allowed in the city.”

Most councilmembers also agreed the “permitted use” option would be best for Dunwoody and said they like the rules that would limit the number of dispensaries and spreading them out in the city.

“I think the important thing for us to remember is this isn't us becoming a Colorado and this isn't recreational use and people aren’t going in to get edibles and go crazy,” Post 3 Councilman Tom Lambert said. “This is medical, this is regulated by the state, they'll need a prescription. I think people that are recreational users will have no interest in this, because it's probably going to be more expensive and the potency is far less than what they can get from their local dealer.”

However, several other members expressed some concerns about rushing to a decision without a good template in Georgia to model their policy after.

“I just wish someone else had already opened one in Georgia,” Deutsch said.

The City Council took no action on the item, but Leonhardt said he had heard enough information to continue working on the topic.