A medical marijuana ordinance that controls where a facility can be located in Walnutport is a done deal.

On a 6-0 vote, borough council last week adopted an amendment to the zoning ordinance.

Before the vote, Councilwoman Jennifer Wentz explained why the measure was being considered.

“It’s not because there’s one coming in,” Wentz said. “We needed to have our ducks in a row.”

Borough solicitor Michael Corriere agreed.

“It’s good we’re adopting it so we have (protection),” Corriere said.

Beforehand, council held a public hearing for the marijuana ordinance amendment to the zoning ordinance.

No residents spoke to the issue.

Council President Michael Gaston was absent.

In August, council approved the proposed ordinance as a final draft and to have it sent to the borough’s planning commission, as well as the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

Corriere drafted a medical marijuana ordinance that provided for certain uses.

The ordinance would allow a medical marijuana growing processing plant in an industrial zone, medical marijuana transport vehicle facilities in an industrial zone, clinical research in both a general commercial and industrial zone, and medical marijuana dispensaries in a general commercial zone, all by special exception.

Council discussed the issue in May after it was noted the matter has been a hot-button topic in neighboring Lehigh Township.

Councilwoman Patrice Hunsicker said she believed it should be in industrial zoning, because she would rather see it away from residential.

Council agreed at that meeting to have Corriere and borough engineer Jason Newhard review the ordinance.

After that meeting, Corriere said the general commercial district would be for dispensaries, and the industrial district would be for growing facilities.

The Lehigh Township Zoning Hearing Board, as part of a six-plus hour special exception hearing in August, rejected a medical marijuana campus, according to published reports.

The zoning hearing board approved a proposed fast food restaurant, but denied a 3,000-square-foot medical marijuana dispensary, as well as 16 different 20,000-square-foot medical marijuana growing and processing facilities on a vacant lot of land on Birch Drive owned by a partnership known as LURRS.

In May, Lehigh Township’s planning commission voted to recommend the township’s zoning hearing board reject a proposal to build a medical marijuana growing and processing facility, along with a fast-food restaurant with a drive-through.