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Goodhue County amends cannabis ordinance to exempt low-potency hemp edibles from 1,000-foot spacing and approves local registration
Summary
The board amended the county cannabis ordinance to remove a 1,000-foot spacing requirement for low-potency hemp edibles to align with state statute and approved a low-potency registration for Tilling Brewing Company in Cannon Falls after the public hearing produced no speakers.
Goodhue County commissioners amended the county cannabis ordinance on Tuesday to clarify that the county's 1,000-foot spacing requirement does not apply to low-potency hemp edibles, and they approved a low-potency registration for a Cannon Falls business.
Land-use staff told the board that low-potency hemp edibles are regulated differently from full-potency cannabis and that staff had been interpreting the ordinance to require 1,000-foot spacing between both types. Staff recommended removing that spacing requirement for low-potency edibles to align with state statute and common practice in other counties.
"What we're proposing here is to remove that thousand foot spacing requirement and make sure that the ordinance is clear that that does not apply," the staff member said.
The board opened the public hearing and called for comment three times; no one spoke. After the hearing closed, a commissioner moved to approve the amendment "as written" and the board approved it by voice vote.
Shortly after the ordinance amendment, staff presented a low-potency hemp edible registration application for Tilling Brewing Company in Cannon Falls. Staff said the city of Cannon Falls reviewed the location and confirmed zoning compliance and that state statute prevents local numeric limits on low-potency registrations when applicants meet statutory requirements. The board approved the registration by voice vote.
Why it matters: many rural commercial districts are small; a 1,000-foot spacing rule could effectively preclude low-potency retail in downtown centers. The change makes local rules consistent with state statute and county practice for these products while retaining spacing restrictions for full-potency cannabis where the county had chosen to remain more restrictive.
Next steps: staff will ensure the ordinance's statutory citation is corrected in the code and will proceed with the registration processing for Tilling Brewing Company. The board discussed publication/effective date of ordinances but took the action that the ordinance amendment and the registration are approved by the board vote.
