Pawtucket council gives first passage to ordinance regulating retail cannabis with 500-foot school buffer

The Pawtucket City Council voted first passage on Jan. 7 to amend Chapter 4.10 of the city code to establish where retail-only cannabis shops may operate and under what conditions. The ordinance, as amended, requires a proposed retail site to be at least 500 feet from a preexisting public or private school providing K–12 education and applies distance and buffer standards intended to limit siting near homes and sensitive uses.

The amendment grew out of a lengthy ordinance-committee review and a public hearing in which the zoning director explained the state’s licensing process: Rhode Island is awarding up to four retail licenses per zone in this round, and applicants must submit a site and a zoning compliance letter as part of their Cannabis Control Commission application. Councilors and staff said the city adopted the change to give the municipality a land-use process to evaluate retail storefronts via special-use…