SPANISH FORT — City officials in Spanish Fort and Daphne voted Monday, Dec. 6 to approve allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in their cities if local applications are approved by the state.

Some city council members said, however, that they did not expect the facilities to open in their municipality.

In Spanish Fort, Mayor Mike McMillan said many more applications have been filed for the 37 possible locations than are available.

"I think you have to be site-specific by the end of this month and then it goes to the state for the approvals," McMillan said. "I understand they've gotten like thousands of applications."

Spanish Fort City Councilman J.R. Smith said he did not think that a dispensary would be located in the city.

"With the number of 37, I would assume that Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and then your resorts like Gulf Shores," Smith said, "I would think they would be in the top picking of the 37 for the whole state. I don't think we're that big of an attractor here."

The city of Gulf Shores has not voted on the question of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in that municipality, according to city officials.

In Spanish Fort, any dispensary would be located in an area zoned for business after the proposal was approved by the city planning commission, David Conner, city attorney, said.

"Based on our discussion that this was a new use and the laws developing as well as the oversight, it was determined that the recommendation would be for the planning commission approval just so that you'll have some further input as to whether or not that's a particular location as appropriate for that use," Conner told council members.

He said city zoning regulations now allow apothecaries in areas zoned B-2, and in areas zoned B-3 and B-4 with planning commission approval. Drug stores are allowed in areas zoned B-3 and B-4.

The Daphne City Council also voted Dec. 6 to approve an ordinance to allow medical marijuana dispensaries.

Both cities had passed resolutions allowing dispensaries earlier in the year but were later told the measure required that an ordinance be passed to approve the action.

An ordinance to approve dispensaries in Fairhope had also been proposed, but council members rejected the proposal after several residents objected to the action.

Foley and Loxley have also approved allowing dispensaries.

Under recent state legislation, up to 37 sites around Alabama will be approved to provide certain cannabis-derived products under a doctor's prescription. In order for a city to be considered as a potential dispensary site, the city council must vote to allow the service in the municipality.