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Council introduces amendment to cannabis rules adding 200-foot buffer from aquatic center and new hemp wholesaler license
Summary
Council introduced an amendment to Chapter 86 to set a 200-foot buffer between retail cannabis businesses and the aquatic center, aligned with committee compromise; the draft also adds a low-potency hemp edible wholesaler license in specified zoning districts.
Marshall City Council introduced an amendment to Chapter 86 that would place a 200-foot buffer between retail cannabis businesses and the city's aquatic center and would add a new licensing category for lower-potency hemp edible wholesalers.
Pam, the staff presenter, told the council the state statute permits cities to establish buffers around youth-attracting locations and that the council chose a 200-foot buffer in this draft: “the state law allows these types of buffers with respect to areas that are attractions to youth,” she said, and “it did go through L and O, and it was decided that the buffer would be 200 feet, the statute says, within 500.” Stephen added that a comparative table included in the packet shows many cities adopt the statutory distances, while Marshall had been less restrictive historically.
The Legislative Ordinance Committee discussed the item and put forward a unanimous recommendation to present the amendment to council. Committee members noted they prioritized addressing vulnerable retail locations along East College Drive near the aquatic center while leaving the city open to other business opportunities.
Pam also said the draft adds a new license type for low-potency hemp edible wholesalers and aligns their permitted locations with the city's zoning scheme: “there is 1 minor additional revision to include lower potency hemp edible wholesalers,” she said. A council question about county standards was answered by staff: the city has jurisdiction over regulation inside city limits.
Councilmember Craig moved to introduce the amendment, Jim seconded, and the council approved the introduction. The draft amendment was described as an introduction; the transcript does not record an ordinance number or a final adoption vote.
The transcript includes discussion about parks and whether park areas should be excluded; staff said the city has not generally applied park buffers and that Memorial Park was discussed in committee but was not treated identically to the aquatic center because of differences in facilities that attract children.
