Work session held by Hub City regarding medical marijuana

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Hattiesburg city leaders held a work session on Monday to hear what changes will need to be made to the city’s land code in order for it to comply with state law.

Actual changes were not made this evening, but city leaders did discuss potential amendments needed to the city’s land code.

Mayor Toby Barker says the goal is to change the code in order to comply with state law regarding medical marijuana.

“The state statute is very robust and speaks directly to the law and is very extensive in terms of the regulations that all of the medical marijuana-related businesses have to follow and so really, our role is to simply take that and marry it to our land code as well as establish any sort of other things like signage or licensing fees... things like that,” Barker said.

Some of the changes the city council will have to consider include establishing appropriate zones.

These amendments would make it so all of the elements work commercially for medical marijuana in Hattiesburg.

“We’re going to do our best to make this as functional for the City of Hattiesburg and its citizens where these facilities are still accessible and in compliance with state law, but also treat them like a regular business,” Barker said.

Because applications for medical marijuana businesses open during the summer months, there’s a bit of urgency to get this amendment process completed by the end of May.

“...to have the city land code in place where people can go ahead and get ok’d as far as their zoning before they go and apply for a license from the State Department of Health is an important piece in this process,” Barker said.

This information will now go before the planning commission for recommendation.

It will then go to the city council for adoption or amendment.

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