Danbury could temporarily ban weed sales, but some concerned city will miss out on economic benefits

DANBURY – A city commission had no doubt that Danbury should temporarily ban Danbury retailers from selling cannabis.

However, members of the planning commission asked how long the proposed moratorium on cannabis operations should be in place.

“I would like to urge the department to take this forward,” said Commissioner Perry Salvagne IV on Wednesday evening. “The train leaves the station economically. I don’t want our community, our local businesses, our residents not to benefit from something that the rest of the state can benefit economically from. “

Joel Urice, vice chairman of the planning commission, had the opposite concern.

“Shouldn’t we be taking enough time to study the effects on the health and well-being of Danbury residents?” He said. “It seems like a year is a short time.”

The proposed moratorium would last a year or less, giving city officials “sufficient” time to understand the lengthy laws to legalize marijuana, said Sharon Calitro, planning director.

The law allows adults to smoke and possess a certain amount of cannabis in addition to recreational sales in late 2022.

The planning commission unanimously issued a positive recommendation for the city’s proposed moratorium on Wednesday evening. The Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on Zoom on Tuesday evening on the matter.

The city has no plans to ban business owners from opening medical or recreational pharmacies in Danbury – at least for now.

“It’s not a no,” said Calitro. “It’s not a yes. It’s just a kind of pause button while we go through laws that are … 300 pages long. “

She said she had already identified inconsistencies in the data in the legislation, so there would be more time to contact the state on issues like this one. The city would then decide whether the sale should be banned or how it should be regulated.

“I’m not saying forbid it,” she said. “I say: let’s see what options we have. And if we regulate it, what does that mean? And if we forbid it, what does that mean and what are the effects? “

Danbury is one of the few parishes in the region to deal with the new law.

Newtown has already banned retailers, while the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to discuss the ban on pot sales at its Tuesday evening meeting.

The Ridgefield Commission will only vote on the proposal after the break in August, said First Selectman Rudy Marconi.

“That worries me a little,” he said. “I would like to see something move faster.”

However, cannabis sales couldn’t start in the state until the end of 2022, which eased his worries, he said.

“Maybe there will be enough time, so there is no need to rush,” said Marconi.

Danbury’s moratorium would ban motions, petitions, and permits for cannabis operations for a year or less. New proposals for medical and recreational marijuana would be affected.

Medical pharmacies are allowed under existing zone regulations, but the city wants to pause those too, as these companies can also request the sale of recreational herbs, Calitro said.

However, the Compassionate Care Center of Connecticut’s plan to move its medical pharmacy to Danbury would continue to go ahead as it had already been approved.

After evaluating the law, city planners would recommend a plan to the commission. This could be done before the end of the year, so the moratorium would end prematurely, Calitro said.

Dealing with the law is high on her department’s list, she said.

“We understand what this economic impact could potentially be and that is part of the analysis,” said Calitro.

Staff member Shayla Colon contributed to this report.