The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘We can start working on regulations’
PZC sets moratorium on new cannabis businesses
TORRINGTON — In response to the state law allowing recreational marijuana in Connecticut, the Planning & Zoning Commission is enacting a one-year moratorium on new cannabis businesses, starting Sept. 25.
Gov. Ned Lamont in June signed into law Senate Bill 1201, which legalizes and regulates the adult use of cannabis in Connecticut. The legislation contains comprehensive reforms that address many areas, including equity, criminal justice, public health and public safety, according to the state website, ct.gov.
Commissioners held a public hearing Sept. 8 on the moratorium.
“This moratorium is temporary and limited to cannabis establishments, to
provide the commission with the time necessary to consider adoption and potential changes to our own ordinance and regulations,” said City Planner Martin Connor. “The Connecticut General Assembly
has passed a bill allowing cannabis establishments, and existing dispensaries are exempted.”
The moratorium goes into effect Sept. 25 and will be in place until the same date in 2022. But it could be a shorter period of time if the commission is able to draft, present
and approve its own regulations over the next year.
“The statute has already been adopted, but the state isn’t likely to put it in place until next year, so it gives the commission time to work on it,” Connor said.
Some who attended the public hearing said the moratorium would prevent them from applying to the state for the proper permits to run a cannabis sales business. But Connor said that wasn’t the case.
Under the legislation, cannabis business licenses will be granted based on a town’s population — one store per 25,000 people, according to Connor, and the state is using a lottery system to provide those licenses. He said Torrington is likely to be able to have two of them, since its population is about 40,000.
“But people can still apply for those permits,” Connor said.
Thomas Macre, a coowner and manager of Still River Wellness, a medical marijuana distributor on Winsted Road in Torrington, said the moratorium wasn’t a big concern.
Still River Wellness celebrated its second year
in business in June. The dispensary serves about 2,000 patients, many of whom live in Torrington, and has 11 full-time employees, Macre said. “We operate quietly, responsibly and with no infringement on other businesses,” he said. “We’re here, we’re local, and we want to have a partnership with the city.
“I think (the moratorium) is a good idea,” he said. “It buys the commission time to draft their own regulations. My only concern was the one-year time frame, because it seems like the state is moving pretty quickly and if applications for new businesses are available, I want to do that; and I want to be able to stay in Torrington. We’re planning our next step. It was nice of them to say they weren’t saying ‘no,’ that they were just buying time.”
Still River Wellness’ clients won’t be affected by the moratorium, Macre said.
“Medical marijuana patients will definitely need to be prioritized,” he said. “So we’d separate the business, to keep our patients in their comfort zone, doing things the way they’ve been doing them, by appointment.
“Patients are allowed to use a certain amount per month and they don’t pay taxes, and they get a higher concentration (of cannabis),” he said. “For other users, they’ll be taxed at a higher rate, and they’ll get lower levels. So our patients won’t want to change . .... It’s a benefit to stay where they are, with us.”
Commission Chairman Greg Perosino said the board could make its new regulations a priority. “Moratoriums don’t have to last a whole year,” he said. “We can make it a priority, so that we’re dealing with it in an ongoing basis. If it takes us five months, six months to get it done, and it’s the way we like it and the way we want it, then that’s what we’ll do. We’re not going to put off drafting new regulations until the twelfth month of the moratorium. This is just giving us as much room as we can afford to take.”
Connor said Mayor Elinor Carbone was working with Police Chief Bill Baldwin on an ordinance. “They’re working on that, regarding the use of marijuana in public, and that could work in concert with our development of a regulation
for facilities and retail sales,” he said. “We’re just trying to create the best opportunity to regulate (marijuana) on a retail level.”
Commission member Tom Telford said the state’s new bill still was a work in progress. “There are a lot of variables that have been mentioned, like tax abatements. But at this point, we don’t even know who will get what,” he said. “So there’s a lot of questions that aren’t answered yet.”
“If we’re approving retail sales, I want us to be the shining star on how we’re going to do Perosino said.