ANNA MARIA – The mayor and city commission plan to review and potentially amend a city ordinance that prohibits the sale of hemp and CBD products.
Hemp is a cannabis plant that contains 0.3% or less THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces a “high.” CBD is a cannabis product that contains legally-allowed low levels of THC.
Enacted in 2015, Section 34-2 of Anna Maria’s code of ordinances says, “The growing, processing, distributing and sale of marijuana within the city limits of Anna Maria is hereby prohibited. Marijuana shall be defined for purposes of this section to include all parts of any plant of the genus cannabis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the plant or its seeds or resin, including but not limited to low-THC cannabis.”
At Mayor Dan Murphy’s suggestion, Anna Maria’s current hemp and CBD prohibitions are tentatively scheduled for discussion during the Thursday, March 14 city commission meeting that will start at 2 p.m.
Anna Maria’s hemp and CBD sales prohibitions came into question during the Feb. 8 commission meeting, when Blue Ribbon Events owner Danielle Lynch and Holmes Beach-based Edibles N More owner Mel Wendel were informed that Wendel could not sell hemp and CBD products at the arts and crafts show taking place at Roser Church that weekend. Wendel noted CBD sales are allowed in…
