Florida Baptists halt medical marijuana facility

LAKE WALES, Fla. — A tiny Southern Baptist church snuffed out plans to open a medical marijuana facility in central Florida by rejecting an offer to lease a vacant parcel of land the company needs to comply with proposed state rules banning such operations within 1,000 feet of a church property.

At first, Bethel Baptist Church, Lake Wales, Fla., a congregation of about 15 members — many who are shut-ins and unable to attend — voted 8–0 on Aug. 24 to accept an offer to lease the 3.2-acre parcel to GrowHealthy, a company poised to become one of America’s largest chains of medical marijuana nursery farms.

Pastor Marshal Kirchik told local media that GrowHealthy persuaded church members to agree to a $500 a month lease for five years by appealing to their sympathy, telling them the product would help relieve people’s pain.

After the first vote, Kirchik said the congregation got pushback from law enforcement, the Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot coalition and sister churches in Ridge Baptist Association, prompting a second vote the following week, in which church members voted 5–3 to reject the deal.