Wilmington City Council passes a 90-day moratorium on marijuana licenses.
Eight council members voted for the moratorium, two voted present and three were absent.
Council member Zanthia Oliver was one of those voting present – Chris Johnson was the other
"And this is the issue that is at the top of our list. We need to get it right. The neighborhoods that want it, need to have it, and so the neighborhoods that don't want it, don't need to have it," said Johnson.
The goal behind this move by council is to give both new mayor John Carney who took office just over a month ago and the new council time to get any legislation about marijuana licenses right.
Council members stressed this isn’t a ‘no,’ but it gives them a chance to talk to the community about where people want marijuana retail establishments and where they don’t want them.
Councilman Coby Owens was among those voting for the pause.
"Let's not rush this. Let's get it right for all of our citizens. Let's make sure that we have input from everyone in this process, and it's not fair to the new council members to the new administration or to any of the community if we try to rush this process real quick to meet that March 1st deadline,” said Owens. “Do I wish we didn't have to have this? Absolutely, but because of the delays in the past, we need to do this in a collaborative way."
In a statement Mayor Carney said the 90-day temporary suspension is a step towards allowing the City to move through appropriate mechanisms to establish a zoning ordinance.
He adds the task is to find a solution that respects the desire of communities and neighborhoods across Wilmington.
