Church leaders in Athens call for medical cannabis ordinance to be rescinded

ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Six months after granting the ability for medical cannabis dispensaries to open in the city of Athens some residents now want city leaders to rethink the decision.

Multiple people showed up to Monday night’s city council meeting including various church leaders and preachers. Council members say they have been loaded with calls and emails from people against dispensing sites opening up in the area.

During the meeting, various preachers called for the medical marijuana ordinance to be rescinded, while others asked the council to keep it.

Meanwhile, Councilman Harold Wales voiced his concern after seeing what another prescribed drug can do to a community.

“Opioids are sold on the street, we’ve got an epidemic in the United States that’s what happens, there’s nothing the doctors can do because they did everything legally,” Wales said. “It’s the people that get these things, that’s what worries me about the medical marijuana and like the preacher’s said tonight, people are going to be driving with this in their system.”

Council introduced an ordinance to rescind its “opt-in” approval from November 2022.

Council members will have two weeks to reconsider the decision.

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