{"id":1172,"date":"2021-09-15T13:16:28","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T13:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ocmVnaXN0ZXIuY29tL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS9SaWRnZWZpZWxkLWJhbnMtbWFyaWp1YW5hLWJ1c2luZXNzZXMtZm9yLTEteWVhci0xNjQ2MDY3My5waHDSAQA"},"modified":"2021-09-15T13:16:28","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T13:16:28","slug":"ridgefield-bans-marijuana-businesses-for-1-year-new-haven-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1172","title":{"rendered":"Ridgefield bans marijuana businesses for 1 year – New Haven Register"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RIDGEFIELD \u2014 Following a polite but pedantic discussion that drew minimal public comment Tuesday night, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-1 in favor of a one-year moratorium on permits and applications for several kinds of cannabis businesses until the town has time to scrutinize the issue.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year the state made recreational marijuana legal in Connecticut, with plans and additional legislation slowly evolving for how \u2014 and how many \u2014 retailers, distributors, growers and more will be allowed to do business in each municipality.<\/p>\n

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P&Z Commissioner Joseph Dowdell, who cast the sole vote against the temporary ban, voiced concern about the town missing out on economic opportunities if it postponed entertaining applications.<\/p>\n

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Others, however, felt confident that hitting the pause button wouldn\u2019t conflict with potential business.<\/p>\n

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In the lengthy discussion prior to the vote, the commission did not appear entirely clear on the exact reasoning behind the moratorium, as interpretations of the discussion at its July 27 meeting differed.<\/p>\n

By the end, however, most agreed that the town\u2019s residents needed to be brought into the decision-making process, necessitating more time for disseminating information and discussion.<\/p>\n

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First Selectman Rudy Marconi was one of only four people to give input during the public hearing. He spoke in favor of the moratorium, in part because of the short timeframe to institute a referendum by this Election Day. He said the town could potentially vote on the issue in May at the time of the annual budget referendum.<\/p>\n

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Marconi added that as the Board of Selectmen move forward in discussing the matter, there would be ample time for residents to share their opinions.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m going to anticipate multiple public hearings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Geoffrey Morris, chairman of the Ridgefield Economic & Community Development Commission, noted that the state could end up giving a limited number of licenses out prior to the end of the moratorium, to other municipalities, possibly costing the town revenue.<\/p>\n