By Lois K. Solomon
Sun Sentinel
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Studies show CBD (a derivative of cannabis) can help with anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. While people don’t “get high” off of CBD, one Florida community says it needs time to “properly study and consider the potential effects that could result from the recently legalized sale of products containing” CBD.
Sun Sentinel
Never mind that the Legislature thinks CBD is good for the state. Or that the governor just signed a law making it legal to sell the cannabis derivative in Florida.
Delray Beach says no.
City commissioners gave initial approval Tuesday to a temporary ban on one of the latest fads in personal wellness — apparently the first city in the state to do so.
The ban is expected to last a year while city staff figure out how to regulate CBD sales and decide where in the city they should be allowed.
The move is reminiscent of the action several cities took in 2017 to ban medical marijuana dispensaries after voters had overwhelmingly approved them.
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Delray Beach was among those cities, even though 75 percent of Delray residents had approved medical marijuana in a statewide referendum the year before.
South Floridians are becoming increasingly acquainted with CBD, which is sold in stores in several cities, including Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Davie and Miami. Enterprising restaurateurs are also jumping on the trend, lacing pizza, ice cream sundaes and Cuban cafecito with CBD oils.
Delray Beach doesn’t have any CBD storefronts yet, but several entrepreneurs who sell their products in nearby municipalities and online called the city’s prohibition unreasonable and unnecessary.
“This is unfortunate for our future plans because we wanted to open in east Delray,” said Corey Gleichenhaus, owner of the CBD American Shaman store west of Delray Beach. “I understand the connotation of vape and head shops. There would be a lot less trepidation if they came out and took a look at what we do.”
On June 25, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing hemp and cannabidiol, or CBD, the popular hemp derivative. It went into effect Monday.
Studies show CBD can help with anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. A growing number of Americans appear to be using it: In 2016, retail sales in the United States totaled $170 million and are projected to grow over the next five years to more than $1 billion, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Hemp does not allow users to get high but is a strain of the cannabis plant that produces marijuana.
The city on Tuesday said its staff needs time to “properly study and consider the potential effects that could result from the recently legalized sale of products containing” CBD.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia said the short-term prohibition is similar to others commissioners have approved in recent months, such as bans on scooters and tattoo parlors, in which the city wanted time to figure out how to regulate them.
If approved on second reading July 9, the city wouldn’t accept any applications for CBD stores during the next year.
“It’s pretty insane that they’re doing this,” said Bryce Humphreys, a Delray Beach resident whose company manufactures CBD products for retail sale and online. “It’s a completely legal product. It’s an old-school way of thinking.”
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