Princess Anne hearing draws strong opposition as commissioners consider cannabis zoning changes

Princess Anne commissioners held a second-reading public hearing on Ordinance No. 2034-04 on Sept. 3, during which a stream of residents urged the board to delay or block new zoning language that would permit cannabis businesses subject to special exceptions.

The ordinance, read aloud by a commissioner, would amend Chapter 163 of the Princess Anne town code to add definitions and land-use rules for cannabis businesses and alcoholic beverage stores. Key provisions read into the record include that a cannabis business may not locate within 500 feet of a preexisting primary or secondary school, licensed child care, playground, recreation center, library, religious assembly facility, or public park; that any cannabis business must be at least 2,640 feet (half a mile) from another cannabis business; and that on-site consumption establishments would be prohibited inside the town.

Why it matters: Residents framed the question as whether Princess Anne should be identified by family- and history-oriented amenities or become a destination for cannabis sales. “This is a historic city,” one resident said, urging commissioners not to let the town be “known as the Pot Valley.” Another public commenter who identified himself as an attorney told the commissioners the ordinance raises constitutional issues and offered to challenge it in court, urging the board to postpone action until a community-impact study is completed.

Opponents’ main claims centered on public safety, youth exposure and fairness. A presenter who described training in pharmacology summarized studies they said link adolescent cannabis use with increased risk of addiction and harms to brain development and cited national youth-use survey numbers; that speaker asked commissioners to consider vulnerable populations and the town’s children. An attorney in the audience argued the state law the ordinance implements could be subject to constitutional challenge and urged tabling the measure pending a formal study and stakeholder engagement.

Commissioners and staff stressed that enactment of zoning language would not itself approve any specific location or facility; the ordinance would require separate special-exception processes for site-level approvals and the board of appeals retains the authority to modify separation requirements by special exception. Commissioners also noted the ordinance includes severability language so that if one provision is adjudicated invalid, other provisions could remain in force.

Community and equity concerns featured prominently. Commenters noted that a single social-equity license for the county is currently held by one group and urged the town to ensure the African American community and other local stakeholders share in economic benefits. Commissioners asked staff to gather more information and suggested additional stakeholder outreach and possible community impact work before any final decisions.

What happened next: The transcript records extensive public comment and the reading of the ordinance but does not include a roll-call vote or final action on Ordinance No. 2034-04 in the excerpt provided. Several speakers asked that the commissioners either table or delay action until further study and community engagement occur.

Sources: Quotes and attributions are from public commenters and commission members recorded in the public-hearing transcript for the Princess Anne town commissioners’ Sept. 3 meeting.