Nearly a decade after Florida voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana, the first dispensary has officially opened within Miami city limits.
Ayr Wellness inaugurated its Midtown location at 3160 N. Miami Ave. on Friday, January 10, marking a significant milestone in a city that has long resisted the presence of dispensaries.
“This has been a five-plus-year process since we started planning this particular dispensary,” said Rob Vanisko, vice president of public engagement for Ayr Wellness, in an interview with the Miami New Times. “From lease signing to all the approvals to the appeals to actually be able to get this open has been quite the process.”
Following the 2016 constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana in Florida, Miami city officials, led by then-city attorney Victoria Mendez, argued that federal law superseded state law, preventing dispensaries from opening. While surrounding municipalities implemented zoning regulations and welcomed dispensaries, Miami held its ground, citing legal concerns.
In 2021, investor Romie Chaudhari sued the city after being denied permits to open dispensaries in the Park West neighborhood. Despite a federal judge and the city’s planning and zoning appeals board siding with Chaudhari, city officials, including zoning director Lourdes Slazyk, continued to block efforts through appeals.
City commissioners also opposed dispensaries, with Commissioner Joe Carollo dismissing the effort as the “Cheech and Chong ordinance” and expressing concerns about impaired driving. Commissioner Manolo Reyes claimed that dispensaries would lead to children accessing marijuana gummies and obtaining fraudulent medical cards.
Despite their resistance, the Miami City Commission struck down the zoning office’s appeal in May 2022, clearing the way for Chaudhari and others to pursue permits. In February 2024, the city approved Ayr Wellness’s certificate of use, although Carollo and Reyes continued to voice their opposition.
Ayr Wellness, which acquired Liberty Health Sciences for $372 million in 2021, now operates 67 locations statewide. Vanisko and chief development officer Jamie Mendola emphasized the demand for medical marijuana access in Miami.
“Miami proper is vastly underserved from a medical marijuana perspective,” Vanisko said, citing a ratio of 62,800 residents per dispensary in Miami-Dade County. Mendola added, “Studies have shown youth cannabis use has decreased in regulated markets, disproving many fears expressed by opponents.”
