Hoover medical marijuana ordinance loses traction

A proposed ordinance that would have allowed the distribution of medical marijuana in the city of Hoover appears to be dead — for now, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said.

The Hoover City Council this past Monday, Dec. 5, was scheduled to have a public hearing on an ordinance that would have allowed medical marijuana dispensaries in industrial zones in Hoover.

However, the ordinance was removed from the agenda. Brocato said the people who had expressed interest in operating medical marijuana dispensaries in Hoover were not pleased with the locations that would have been available to them with industrial zoning, and they no longer seemed interested.

They wanted their medical marijuana dispensaries in more highly traveled areas, he said.

Also, Brocato said that, while he understands some people’s need for medical marijuana and believes the state law passed last year that allows for it in Alabama had a lot of safeguards in it, he never really saw himself as a champion for the cause, and he didn’t see that level of interest from the City Council either.

It didn’t help that the people interested in opening medical marijuana dispensaries in Hoover seemed more focused on the ability of the businesses to make money than on helping people with medical needs, Brocato said. “That caused me some concern,” he said.

Also, Brocato said pharmacies provide people with every known kind of controlled substance, and he doesn’t see why this particular substance is suddenly needed outside of pharmacies.

Hoover Councilman Steve McClinton said he is very supportive of medical marijuana because he understands some people need it, but he believes the state law that allows it in Alabama was too vague, and he would not have supported the dispensary ordinance for Hoover right now because he didn’t have enough information about what was being planned.

Also, the key question for him was whether this ordinance would have made Hoover a better place to live, and he doesn’t believe it would have, he said.

Brocato said he believes the issue likely will come up again sometime in the future.