Planning commission unanimously recommends land‑development code amendment for 'natural medicine' businesses, forwards to county commissioners

The El Paso County Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the Board of County Commissioners consider a proposed amendment to the county land development code, file LDC 2‑43, establishing time, place and manner regulations for “natural medicine” businesses.

Planning Director Megan Harrington presented the item and described the background: the state approved Proposition 122 in 2022 to decriminalize personal use and cultivation of certain psychedelics and directed the state to create a licensing and regulatory framework. Harrington told the commission that state legislation implementing the regulatory program (recorded on the transcript as “state bill 23‑290”) sets out that local jurisdictions may regulate time, place and manner, but may not prohibit establishment or transportation of natural medicine businesses. Harrington said the staff proposal borrows many design and operational standards from the county’s medical marijuana rules while tailoring buffers and measurement methodology to the new state regulatory act.

Key provisions recommended by staff and discussed by the commission include: - Definitions taken from the state regulatory act for terms such as natural medicine business, healing center, cultivation facility, product manufacturer and testing…