Ian Bacheikov was quoted in a Miami Herald article on Miami’s rejection of medical cannabis dispensaries. While the rest of Florida has seen more than 270 dispensaries open since the state voted to approve medical marijuana in 2016, the city of Miami has maintained that the change to the Florida Constitution did not mean anything as long as marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Rather than creating zoning restrictions regulating dispensaries or outright banning them, city officials are waiting for further clarification regarding the conflict between state and federal law.

“State statute says you’d have to treat [marijuana dispensaries] the same way you treat a pharmacy,” Bacheikov said. “They’re simply saying dispensaries are something else and they are not permitted.”