The Newport Commission discussed permitting medical cannabis operations in the city — with some divisive opinions on the topic.
Newport Commissioners Julie Smith-Morrow and Mike Radwanski and Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. expressed interest in the idea. Commissioner Ken Rechtin said he intends to vote no, and multiple residents spoke at the meeting asking the city to vote no on the operations. Commissioner Beth Fennell was absent from the meeting.
An official vote will be held during the second reading in September.
“Just because the general assembly gives us the right to do something, I don’t think we just have to do it,” Rechtin said. “I’m not sure that this is what our city and our citizens want, so I’m going to vote no.”
Rechtin said that when he needs medicine, he goes to the doctor, who sends it to a pharmacy that counts out the pills and ensures he gets the adequate dosage.
He said the city is already selling gummies in its vape shops. During the meeting, Rechtin held up a bottle of 48 gummies that he bought for $25 at a Newport vape store. He said the active ingredient is THC, which is a cannabinoid found in cannabis that’s the primary psychoactive component of the plant.
“I can open this, and my grandchildren can open this,” he said. “It’s a gummy. Tastes like blueberry.”
Guidugli Jr. said that he agreed the product Rechtin bought was “a real problem in the community,” and that was one of the reasons why the general assembly made this decision to legalize medical cannabis.
“That product is not regulated,” he said. “It has no consistency throughout it, and it has no actual measurements. So, part of the purpose was to circumvent that with something that was more regulated, had proper dosing and actually could be placed and referred to in regard to their condition and the right dose.”
Guidugli Jr. said he wanted to draw the contrast between the vape shop gummies and the medical cannabis dispensaries because the requirements and the standards are not only what the dosage is, it has to be even through it.
The state will issue 10 licenses for cannabis processors across Kentucky and 48 licenses for dispensaries.
Voting to allow dispensaries in the city is just the first step. If the city votes yes, they would need to make zoning changes. Dispensaries can’t be within 1,000 feet of a school, or a daycare center. So, if a business applies, it must meet that 1,000-foot requirement.
“We’ve kind of looked at the map, and there are very limited locations in the city it could be, and I don’t want to conjecture on this as what zone would ultimately be in, but it’s very limited,” Newport City Manager Tom Fromme said.
At least two Newport businesses have already applied to the state for a license. A lottery drawing will take place for the entire region and will be drawn by business to decide who receives a license.
The lottery system is in place because each region will initially be granted at least four dispensary licenses; however, no more than one dispensary can be located in each county — the only exception to this rule being Kentucky’s two largest counties, Jefferson and Fayette.
Not anyone can receive a medical cannabis card. Fromme said there are four or five different conditions that have been spelled out in statute. Then, the person must be diagnosed by a medical doctor to qualify for a card.
“This does not give somebody a license to use marijuana if your job prohibits it, and the same as if you’re operating a motor vehicle,” Fromme said. “You can still be found guilty of a DUI if you’re under the influence of marijuana, so it doesn’t give you a free pass for anything.”
Rechtin wasn’t the only one who said they didn’t want the operations in Newport. Multiple residents spoke during the meeting.
Newport resident Charles Williams is a disabled veteran, and because of that, he has access to a medical card.
“I’m a veteran that has conditions,” Williams said. “So, I can legally, by government status as a veteran, get cannabis, medical marijuana, up in Ohio, but I can’t bring it back to Kentucky.”
Williams said he wants to keep it that way and keep the operations out of Newport.
Former Newport Mayor, commissioner and current business and property owner Jerry Peluso asked the commission to vote no.
Resident Karen Minzner said her information was second-hand from her husband, who is a physician but has heard him say many times that medical cannabis is not good. She said she is personally against any kind of cannabis.
The law still leaves room for the city to opt out of allowing the businesses should they vote yes at their next meeting on Sept. 23.
Newport Attorney Dan Braun said that the legislation the general assembly passed did not address an opt-out option; however, it is standard practice that if a city passes an ordinance to permit something, later, it can move to withdraw the legality of that. Any legitimate business that’s already been unoperated would be grandfathered in and allowed to stay.
