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Norton Council adopts six-month moratorium on adult-use cannabis zoning
Summary
The Norton City Council on July 21 adopted an emergency ordinance placing a six-month moratorium on zoning certificates for adult-use cannabis businesses while the city reviews state and local rules and develops regulations.
The Norton City Council voted unanimously July 21 to adopt Ordinance No. 70-20-25, an emergency six-month moratorium on applications for zoning certificates that would enable the cultivation, processing, distribution or sale of adult-use cannabis.
Council members said the moratorium applies only to zoning approvals for commercial adult-use cannabis operations, not to individual possession, use or home growing that state law permits. "It's just for people operating a sale business," Council member Lukens said during the discussion.
The council and staff said the pause will give the city time to study state law and model local ordinances, receive Planning Commission recommendations and hold a public hearing before any permanent code change. A council member described the pause as appropriate because the city currently has no local regulations for commercial adult-use cannabis and the city could be vulnerable if a business sought to open without local rules in place.
Ordinance No. 70-20-25 was introduced for first reading, the council moved to waive the second and third readings and then adopted the ordinance on a roll call vote with all members voting yes.
Council members emphasized the moratorium targets zoning approvals and not private activities that state statute allows. "We're not prohibiting legal adults from exercising their right to do this," Lukens said while clarifying the scope.
The ordinance declares an emergency so the moratorium takes effect immediately and will run up to six months while staff and elected officials complete the regulatory review and public process described in council remarks.
