MUSKOGEE, Oklahoma – Muscogee (Creek) citizen Patricia Kaseca has been protesting the City Council of Muskogee’s decision to re-zone 5028 W. Okmulgee in order to operate a marijuana dispensary or a grow farm at this location.
Kaseca will attend a meeting that will decide to proceed with the rezone or to quit on Jan. 10.
It was sometime in August when Kaseca receive a notice from the City of Muskogee stating the property would be rezoned.
After attending a City Council meeting in September, Kaseca discovered the intentions of the city was to put in a dispensary at the site.
“I signed up to talk and told the council I was opposed to them putting a dispensary so close to my house,” Kaseca said. “Because of the odor and toxic chemicals that come out of these places.”
Kaseca went to City meetings regularly upholding her opposition along with others who live in the same neighborhood.
A local neighbor partnered with Kaseca to learn the city’s ordinances to see what they could find.
Kaseca claims the City of Muskogee is in violation of its own ordinances, specifically Article 16 – Medical Marijuana, Section 22-675 and Section 22-676.
In her interpretation of ordinance 675, Kaseca said that it specifies dispensaries and grow farms are “public nuisances.”
“A “Public Nuisance” is one that interferes with the health, safety, and welfare of Muskogee citizens and there are 39 of them (dispensaries/grow houses) all over the city,” Kaseca said.
Article 16, Medical Marijuana – Section 22-676 cites, “Buildings where medical marijuana is stored or dispensed must be equipped with ventilation and air filtration systems so that no odors are detectable off premises.”
Kaseca claimed according to this ordinance, every marijuana dispensary and grow farm in Muskogee is in violation of this ordinance because the city has an odor problem.
“The City Council must take action to correct this infraction,” she said.
When Kaseca asked the City Council why they are violating their own ordinances, she said she did not receive an answer.
“This site is within 300 feet of my home,” Kaseca said. “The re-zoning order will greatly impact the quality of life for me by jeopardizing my health, safety and welfare. There are several reasons why this entire project is out of order.”
It is Kaseca’s belief this was the plan all along even before notifying the residents.
“The reason I believe this is because at the October 12, 2021, meeting, the City Attorney stated several ways that he would establish the marijuana dispensary at 5028 W. Okmulgee,” she claimed. “His plan involves modifying the ordinance pertaining to marijuana shops and grow farms that define “public nuisances,” so that they are no longer nuisances.”
Kaseca said her own district representative is in favor of marijuana businesses in Muskogee.
“…Which means my neighborhood,” Kaseca said. “Council Representatives usually try to help the residents in a community when it comes to their health, safety, and welfare.”
After a meeting on Nov. 22, Kaseca gave an oral statement in front of the council stating her opposition.
The council then decided to table the discussion until the Jan. 10 meeting.
This is a developing story.
The only thing I agree with in this article is that there are too many dispensaries. As far as odor and chemicals, I feel she’s having a hard time with this argument because we all live here and drive by dispensaries daily and not once have I, or anyone that i have asked for that matter, smelled Marijuana or any chemicals coming out of dispensaries. Grasping at straws to make sure there isn’t a dispensary in the area. She could have pointed out that the city doesn’t care about zoning because of the profits that they recieve from start up and taxes, instead she is demonizing the use and growing of Medical (keyword) Marijuana because its a nuesence to her nostrils. Instead of looking at the dispensaries, look to your neighbor who’s probably smoking a bowl, or the car next you is probably hitting a cart.
I have to disagree with the last statement, the smell is reduculis. The grow farm on 48th when driving by you might get a contact high,and what Joe blow next door to me is smoking is nor has it ever been my business. We live in a controlled country so we can debate over this all day but nothing anyone of us thinks will change the way q world headed to hell thinks. Our quality of life is up to us 🇺🇸