Jacob Bell
New Member
Bozeman will continue to cap the number of medical marijuana storefronts allowed in town, but city officials will revisit the rule in one year, hopefully when state law is ironed out.
"There is so much of this that is still up in the air," Commissioner Cyndy Andrus said.
The City Commission on Monday voted unanimously in favor of capping the number of business licenses the city can issue to medical marijuana storefronts at 21.
Last year, the commission decided to cap the number of brick-and-mortar storefront licenses at 20 for one year to see how it worked. The city also issues licenses for cannabis delivery services and grow operations.
The city issued 21 licenses - one more than the cap - because officials had agreed to consider any license applications submitted prior to the rule.
Misty Carey, a Bozeman provider and representative for the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, asked city commissioners Monday not to make the cap permanent.
Carey said business licenses for medical marijuana shops in Bozeman aren't transferable, so providers aren't able to sell them. She said she knows of several people who are holding onto their licenses while they wait to see what happens with Montana law.
State legislators this spring passed a strict overhaul of the voter-approved law that allowed medical marijuana. The new law, due to go into effect Friday, will ban commercial operations, but Carey's group, the MCIA, is challenging it as unconstitutional.
Bozeman city staff had recommended the city make its cap on storefront licenses permanent because a statewide ban on storefronts would mean the city has to change its rules anyway, city attorney Greg Sullivan said.
But for now, it's uncertain what will happen. And for the past year, Sullivan said, the cap has worked well.
"We haven't heard a lot of complaints from the public over that number," he said.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: bozemandailychronicle.com
Author: Amanda Ricker
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Website: Bozeman City Commission extends cannabis storefront cap for another year
"There is so much of this that is still up in the air," Commissioner Cyndy Andrus said.
The City Commission on Monday voted unanimously in favor of capping the number of business licenses the city can issue to medical marijuana storefronts at 21.
Last year, the commission decided to cap the number of brick-and-mortar storefront licenses at 20 for one year to see how it worked. The city also issues licenses for cannabis delivery services and grow operations.
The city issued 21 licenses - one more than the cap - because officials had agreed to consider any license applications submitted prior to the rule.
Misty Carey, a Bozeman provider and representative for the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, asked city commissioners Monday not to make the cap permanent.
Carey said business licenses for medical marijuana shops in Bozeman aren't transferable, so providers aren't able to sell them. She said she knows of several people who are holding onto their licenses while they wait to see what happens with Montana law.
State legislators this spring passed a strict overhaul of the voter-approved law that allowed medical marijuana. The new law, due to go into effect Friday, will ban commercial operations, but Carey's group, the MCIA, is challenging it as unconstitutional.
Bozeman city staff had recommended the city make its cap on storefront licenses permanent because a statewide ban on storefronts would mean the city has to change its rules anyway, city attorney Greg Sullivan said.
But for now, it's uncertain what will happen. And for the past year, Sullivan said, the cap has worked well.
"We haven't heard a lot of complaints from the public over that number," he said.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: bozemandailychronicle.com
Author: Amanda Ricker
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Website: Bozeman City Commission extends cannabis storefront cap for another year
