Horizon Public Health outlines county plan for cannabis retail registration; board flags oversight concerns

Angie Hasburg, population health supervisor at Horizon Public Health, and Jarrett, Horizon's cannabis and substance-use prevention coordinator, presented a proposed county process to register cannabis retail businesses in Douglas County when municipalities have not delegated registration to the county.

Key elements presented: applicants must have OCM (state) approval before applying locally; the county proposes a cap on the number of county-issued cannabis business registrations; a first-come-first-served approach is proposed for registration openings with a lottery to break ties if multiple filings arrive simultaneously; and staff recommended opening local registration Monday, Sept. 22 at 8 a.m. The presenters said compliance checks would be conducted in coordination with the sheriff's department and that if cities such as Alexandria have their own registrations, they would not be counted as county slots.

Commissioners asked whether taxpayers would subsidize retail businesses and expressed concern about unintended loopholes. Staff explained the county process aims to streamline registration while limiting staff time and costs, and noted the county is not obligated to enforce registrations in jurisdictions that have delegated to a city. Commissioners asked that the board retain the ability to update the process and to monitor compliance and impacts after registration begins.

Board members generally endorsed the proposed framework as drafted and requested that staff keep the board informed about any needed revisions or emerging issues once registration opens.