A bill in the state legislature that would eliminate caps on the number of cannabis companies a municipality can host is getting some pushback, not just from concerned residents but also, somewhat surprisingly, at least one marijuana business.
Current law allows cities and towns to host one dispensary and micro-cultivator for every 25,000 residents.
In March, the Social Equity Council outlined a series of changes it wanted to the recreational cannabis law, including eliminating that cap. The suggestion was included in a larger bill introduced to the General Law Committee in early March. That committee voted in favor of the bill by a 15-3 margin on March 15.
A public hearing on the bill drew testimony from dozens of people, ranging from regular citizens and cannabis companies to lawmakers and other interest groups.
Representatives from Fine Fettle, a medical cannabis dispensary with three Connecticut locations, recommended not removing town population caps from the bill, raising concerns it could lead more municipalities to adopt moratoriums on the industry, or to market oversaturation.
“Too many towns across Connecticut are already creating bans and moratoriums on cannabis dispensaries within their municipalities,” representatives from Fine Fettle wrote in testimony to the General Law Committee. “If the state removes population caps, we will see towns on the fence worrying about oversaturation, which will lead to a dearth of options, increased traffic, and additional moratoriums. It will also lead to significant oversaturation in certain towns and areas. This will certainly lead to failing businesses. Do not remove the population standards if you want a diverse geographic rollout.”
Milford resident Kiersten Naumann said she also opposed removing the cap.
“This would undoubtedly lead to an oversaturation of cannabis establishments in our largest cities, at a severe detriment to the same neighborhoods that are already our most vulnerable,” Naumann said.
Melissa McGarry from Westport urged the cap provision to be kept in.
“This limit is sensible when you don’t yet know the size and scale of the demand in our state. It is better to ramp up later than to see a flood of marijuana businesses, many of whom will struggle to survive the competition against each other, internet sales, and the black market,” McGarry said.
Margaret Watt from Norwalk had a different take. She recommended possibly moving the population cap from 25,000 to 15,000 if the state revisits the discussion.
Andrea Comer, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection and chair of the Social Equity Council, and SEC Executive Director Ginne-Rae Clay support eliminating the cap.
“This grants a municipality the ability to determine on a local level, through zoning ordinances, how many cannabis establishments they will authorize and where within the municipality such establishments may be located,” they wrote. “This has no impact on those towns that have decided to prohibit cannabis establishments.”