ENFIELD — The Town Council is taking steps to possibly prohibit cannabis establishments from opening in town in the wake of the state recently legalizing recreational marijuana.
Possession and use of small amounts of marijuana for people age 21 and over became legal in the state on July 1, with Connecticut becoming the 19th state to legalize the drug. Retail sales of marijuana in the state are expected to happen sometime in 2022.
The new legislation, however, includes an option for towns to prohibit cannabis establishments by ordinance, and the council is exploring that course of action.
The first step is a public hearing, set for 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Town Hall, so the council can gauge how residents feel about the issue. The council, during its meeting on July 6, unanimously approved holding a public hearing on the matter.
For some council members like Democrat Gina Cekala, this public hearing will help the panel decide whether they support this proposed ordinance or not.
“I’m not quite sure where I stand on this issue right now but that’s why I want to hear from the public,” Cekala said.
Mayor Michael Ludwick, a Republican member of the council, said the public hearing was scheduled for September so residents could have time to read up on the new legislation and come to their own conclusion.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re moving it out two months to give people plenty of time,” Ludwick said.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit any business considered a “cannabis establishment” from opening in town. This would include any producers, cultivators, retailers, dispensary facilities, food and beverage manufacturers, product packagers, delivery services, or any other type of cannabis-related business.
The ordinance was drafted after Republican Councilman Carl Sferrazza, the town’s former police chief, raised concerns about the legalization of marijuana before the bill was signed into law.
At a council meeting on June 21, Sferrazza talked about the matter.
“Tomorrow Gov. Lamont is poised to sign the legalization of marijuana,” Sferrazza told the council. “No one says we want to do this because marijuana is good for people.”
Sferrazza, who served with the Police Department for 38 years, the last 12 as chief before retiring in 2018, raised concerns about the safety and potential issues for police tied to the legalization of marijuana. Specifically, he said it would be difficult to determine if motorists were driving while high on the drug.
“What are the police supposed to do here?” Sferrazza said at the June 21 meeting.
Town Attorney James Tallberg told Sferrazza and the rest of the council that they had the option to prohibit cannabis establishments by passing a town ordinance. Tallberg then prepared such an ordinance after a request from the council to do so.
Councilwoman Kelly Hemmeler, a Republican, said at the July 6 council meeting that she plans to support the proposed ordinance.
“I am against the selling of recreational marijuana in our town,” Hemmeler said. “Do we want to become a destination to buy marijuana?”
Councilman Robert Cressotti, a Democrat, did not indicate if he was for or against the ordinance, but raised the concern that Enfield would be missing out on potential revenue tied to the selling of marijuana by establishments in town.
“I don’t want to have Enfield be impaired financially due to this,” Cressotti said. “Surrounding towns are going to be benefiting.”
Cekala requested that additional information, including statistics from states that have already legalized recreational marijuana use, be provided to the council and the public before the public hearing in September.
Town Manager Christopher Bromson said his office would only be passing on information from the state because finding and distributing strictly neutral facts regarding this issue is not possible.
“It’s an impossible, unwinnable argument,” Bromson said.