Cannabis Dispensary Moratorium

Cannabis Moratorium extended until April 2023

The Woodstock Planning and Zoning Commission is hard at work finalizing guidelines and regulations for their town which will most certainly stretch into early 2023. Commission Chairman Jeffrey Gordon said their goal is to be a welcoming community to the cannabis industry, but also to make sure such businesses are properly regulated with the safety and well-being of everyone in mind.
“We’re looking to see what other towns have been doing, just to get an idea. We’re very much focused on Woodstock though, so we’ve discussed how we would like to see about regulating it and we’re continuing to reach out to people to get input which is very important to us. At the same time, our moratorium on cannabis establishments expires Oct. 31 and we’re in the process of extending that to the end of April of next year to give us more time to get input from people and businesses in town,” said Gordon.

The cannabis industry is a unique challenge for all communities in Connecticut as for some the substance is still not welcome while others eagerly await the arrival of their first shops. Gordon said he hasn’t seen any sign that cannabis will be unwelcome in Woodstock, but there are many concerns that need to be addressed from a logistical and safety level. Traffic, location, and public safety are all variables that need to be considered when determining how zoning will work with cannabis businesses, but the Commission still wants to ensure Woodstock is a welcoming host when the time comes.

“You’ve got to be mindful of residential neighborhoods, daycares, schools, and all that kind of stuff. You need to be mindful of where any business may or may not locate. These are things we think about for many businesses. We’re not singling out cannabis. We’re aware it’s a very different type of business. It has a number of different state laws attached to it. We do have to create some rules, but we also need to be fair. We’re not trying to hamstring cannabis businesses,” said Gordon. The Planning and Zoning Commission will continue to discuss cannabis regulations for at least the remainder of 2022 with the potential extension of the moratorium allowing for more time in early 2023 to finalize those documents. Gordon and Commission are inviting any members of the public with interest in the cannabis discussion to join their monthly meetings to have their voices heard.

from Woodstock Villager, August 8, 2022