Jacob Bell
New Member
During its special meeting Tuesday, the Town Council discussed and tweaked and made changes to Ordinance 331, which establishes medical marijuana regulations. In the end, the council voted to table the ordinance until the March 8 scheduled meeting.
But the delay on the vote has less to do with what the Town Council wants in the medical marijuana ordinance than it does about what the state wants, or doesn't want. The additional time will allow the council to understand better how state law will affect the local ordinance.
During discussion of the ordinance, the council, staff and town attorney went through each line item to question the language and the necessity of each regulation and restriction proposed. Council members expressed several times their desire not to add restrictions to the ordinance that were either unnecessary or that went against the intent of state law.
The council applied the view that it is not dealing with regulating the illegal use of marijuana but instead is regulating the use of medical marijuana, which has been made legal under state law.
For example, the council likely will, in the final version of the ordinance, remove language proposed by Jonathan Millet, town attorney, to prohibit the consumption of alcohol on the premises of a medical marijuana dispensary or processing facility. The attorney recommended adding the language for "safety concerns." The council did not, however, feel there was a clear reason for adding that language and decided to remove it from the ordinance.
The council also decided against using language in its ordinance that requires a medical marijuana dispensary to be a licensed, registered non-profit dispensary because that is already required under state law.
The council was in agreement with the recommendations of the Planning Commission in placing caregiver facilities in the town's residential districts as a conditional-use permit. A medical marijuana dispensary will be an allowed use in the commercial district, and cultivation and processing facilities will be allowed only in the industrial district.
News Hawk- GuitarMan313 420 MAGAZINE
Source: verdenews.com
Author: Philip Wright
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Western News&Info, Inc.®
Website: Clarkdale puts finishing touches on medical marijuana ordinance
But the delay on the vote has less to do with what the Town Council wants in the medical marijuana ordinance than it does about what the state wants, or doesn't want. The additional time will allow the council to understand better how state law will affect the local ordinance.
During discussion of the ordinance, the council, staff and town attorney went through each line item to question the language and the necessity of each regulation and restriction proposed. Council members expressed several times their desire not to add restrictions to the ordinance that were either unnecessary or that went against the intent of state law.
The council applied the view that it is not dealing with regulating the illegal use of marijuana but instead is regulating the use of medical marijuana, which has been made legal under state law.
For example, the council likely will, in the final version of the ordinance, remove language proposed by Jonathan Millet, town attorney, to prohibit the consumption of alcohol on the premises of a medical marijuana dispensary or processing facility. The attorney recommended adding the language for "safety concerns." The council did not, however, feel there was a clear reason for adding that language and decided to remove it from the ordinance.
The council also decided against using language in its ordinance that requires a medical marijuana dispensary to be a licensed, registered non-profit dispensary because that is already required under state law.
The council was in agreement with the recommendations of the Planning Commission in placing caregiver facilities in the town's residential districts as a conditional-use permit. A medical marijuana dispensary will be an allowed use in the commercial district, and cultivation and processing facilities will be allowed only in the industrial district.
News Hawk- GuitarMan313 420 MAGAZINE
Source: verdenews.com
Author: Philip Wright
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Western News&Info, Inc.®
Website: Clarkdale puts finishing touches on medical marijuana ordinance
