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Retail Cannabis Sales Moratorium Extended

The Board of Selectmen (BOS) has extended the moratorium on the retail sale of cannabis until April of 2023. The measure is the third moratorium by the Board since legal weed was enacted by the General Assembly. No decision on the ultimate question of whether Guilford will allow retail sales and or cultivation of cannabis has been determined.

First Selectman Matt Hoey said he is of the opinion that the issue is one Guilford voters must ultimately determine. Hoey said enacting an ordinance, rather than a zoning process is preferable to him.

“I have, from the outset, said that this is a legislative decision, a public policy decision, and it has social engineering ramifications. So, I think rather than using any zoning code for potential social engineering, it should be legislative action,” Hoey said. “I’m perfectly happy with making some suggestions to Planning and Zoning as to where they find it most appropriate, which is quite honestly their role.”

Hoey said that if residents are in favor of retail sales, the BOS is leaning toward, though not committed to, a scenario in which an ordinance route is utilized to enact legislation to approve that, and Planning and Zoning would then ultimately take on the task of determining the eventual siting of any cannabis-related businesses.

“I think that is the way to go. Having some legislative guidance, or suggestion, but eventually Planning and Zoning should have the authority to determine the most applicable places for it to go,” Hoey said. “I think that this is not dissimilar to what has happened in the past with alcohol licenses.”

There was an amendment to the legal cannabis law that, though passed in May, has not been publicly discussed until recently. Initially, municipalities were to be limited to only one retail sales outlet per every 25,000 residents, however, that provision has been removed from the law, allowing for a much larger number of potential businesses able to retail weed.

Hoey said the amendment wouldn’t have much effect on how the town decides since they could easily legislate a cap on the number of cannabis businesses allowed.

“Quite honestly, I don’t think we have to worry about getting overrun by a large influx of businesses. I think we could probably craft a set of recommendations by the Board of Selectmen to Planning and Zoning, and or include that in any ordinance. We can craft any ordinance in a manner that allows residents to decide how pervasive they want this to be,” Hoey said.

Opponents have several issues with the retail sales component of the new law, including the potential availability to underage users, the potential loss of Guilford’s “character” and the “message” it sends to youth about the use of what some consider a harmful drug. Those favoring sales claim the tax dollars are an attractive funding source that could benefit Guilford social services organizations by funding anti-abuse efforts. However, Hoey cautioned that any revenue gleaned from the three percent town tax on sales would more than likely not be an exhaustive pool of funds.

“Quite frankly, I don’t see a significant revenue stream coming from the three percent tax going to municipalities. I would not consider making decisions based on an opportunity for revenue for the town. Yes, it may well present an opportunity for the town to receive some funding from the tax, but I would envision that those funds would be directed to organizations like Youth and Family Services and the D.A.Y. organization, which are designed to work with kids to prevent them from experimenting and or using these substances before they are old enough to do so.”

In related news, the Town announced the launching of a new digital community engagement site to inform and engage residents about upcoming plans and initiatives, including retail cannabis sales. According to Hoey, through Zencity Engage, Guilford will create engagement sites for local projects, upload supporting information, and invite residents to give input using interactive participatory tools.

Hoey said the site will enable the Town to more easily incorporate resident feedback in the planning and execution of initiatives to improve local services and quality of life issues.

“We are always striving to get input from residents and this partnership with Zencity will be a great step toward directly collaborating with residents who’ll bring their needs and concerns to the fore and help us make the best decisions for the future of our town,” Hoey said.

Hoey added, “It is essential that we give the community every opportunity we can to weigh in on issues that we as elected officials have to make, Unfortunately, we don’t always have a wide range of input, and a significant amount of input. So any opportunity that provides the community to become engaged, and provide feedback to those of us who make these decisions is something we are thrilled to be able to present to the public.”

The site will inform and gather feedback from residents in up to 27 languages, according to a press release from the Town. Hoey said one of the first issues that will be presented for feedback is the pressing decision on whether to allow retail cannabis and or cultivation establishments in Guilford.

The project engagement site can be found using this link: https://guilford-ct.civilspace.io/en/projects/the-commerce-of-cannabis.