Santa Fe recreational marijuana rules expected to miss state deadline by a month | Local News
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Santa Fe is unlikely to have any recreational cannabis rules in place until October 1, a month after the state begins accepting licenses to manufacture marijuana, city manager Jarel LaPan Hill said Wednesday.
The subordinate political committee of the city’s planning commission has begun reviewing the land use law and expects to have a list of land use recommendations for discussion by mid-August, interim land use director Jason Kluck told the city council.
The schedule drew the ire of Alderman Michael Garcia, who said the pace would stall business efforts.
“What’s our plan?” said Garcia. “How are [we] can you do it in 45 days? … We are very late. Expecting us to get the quality policy out and get our voters on board within 45 days or less is very disappointing. These [is] not something that has just been dropped. We have known that for months. “
Recreational cannabis sales will begin April 1, but the state has asked local communities to put in place a series of rules by September 1 if it begins accepting licenses to manufacture marijuana.
Counties and municipalities cannot ban the production and sale of cannabis, but they can limit density, hours of operation, and proximity to schools and daycare.
“We are beginning to identify what parts of the Code may include these various changes and how we can incorporate these policy considerations into our Code,” said Sally Paez, assistant prosecutor.
Garcia said the city could have expedited the process.
“We knew it was coming,” said Garcia. “We’re stopping business when we should do all we can to get business going.”
John Blair, deputy superintendent of the State Department of Regulation and Licensing, said people are considering their options now that the bill has been released by the state.
He said most existing medical cannabis manufacturers are signing leases for additional space in anticipation of the new industry.
The passage of the Cannabis Regulation Act encompasses new types of cannabis businesses, including “cannabis-consuming areas” and “cannabis-producing micro-businesses”.
According to a memo from the city, the planning commission’s subcommittee has already determined where some of the new companies should be based under the existing code.
Emily Kaltenbach of the Drug Policy Alliance said much of what the city has created for the medical cannabis industry is used as the foundation for recreational cannabis.
Medical cannabis stores are designated as “pharmacists” in the city’s land use law.
“We are a small town and I would like to urge the city and its members to look at what you have done for medicine,” said Kaltenbach. “I don’t think there will be any major zoning changes.”
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