Planning commission unanimously recommends local rules for 'natural medicine' businesses to county commissioners

The El Paso County Planning Commission unanimously voted to forward a proposed Land Development Code amendment (file LDC 2 43) to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration. The amendment would adopt local time, place and manner regulations for "natural medicine" businesses consistent with the state regulatory framework created after Colorado’s Proposition 122.

Planning Director Megan Harrington told the commission that Proposition 122 (2022) decriminalized personal use and cultivation of certain psychedelic mushrooms and that State Bill 23-290 establishes a state licensing and regulatory scheme. Harrington said the state "will start to issue licenses ... applications being accepted to the state as early as Dec. 31." She described four state license types covered in the amendment: natural medicine healing centers, cultivation centers, product manufacturers and testing facilities.

Staff proposed definitions (drawn from the state statute), time/place/manner rules and development standards. Key elements discussed by staff and commissioners included:

- Zoning and permitted locations: Staff recommended permitting natural medicine businesses in the CS, C1, C2 and M zone districts (the same approach used historically for medical marijuana). Commissioners and staff noted that C1, C2 and M are obsolete…