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Royalton Township resident urges Pine County to restrict marijuana facilities to industrial and commercial zones
Summary
During public forum, Denise Weiss of Royalton Township asked the county to reconsider zoning and mitigation rules for marijuana (cannabis) facilities, citing family and community harms and calling for uniform mitigation for facilities of different sizes.
During the public forum of the Pine County Board meeting, Denise Weiss of Royalton Township urged commissioners to re-evaluate where marijuana businesses may locate and how they are regulated.
“It's marijuana,” Weiss said, criticizing use of the softer term “cannabis” and arguing the county should treat the product candidly. She told commissioners she has attended multiple Teen Challenge events and described addiction as generational: “Young people have started when they're 12 because their parents did it, and it's readily available in their home.”
Weiss urged the county to consider the State of Minnesota’s guidance that marijuana facilities be located in industrial and commercial zones and asked commissioners to reconsider rules that allow facilities near homes or that apply different mitigation requirements based on facility size. She said, “I hope that that gets a chance to be looked at in the short term before licenses go out so that we aren't caught in a position that we would be considered being prejudiced against a particular, individual applying for a license.”
Chair Moore thanked Weiss for her comments. No formal board action or motion related to zoning changes was taken during the meeting; commissioners did not debate or vote on zoning policy at this session.
