{"id":3349,"date":"2021-12-30T11:05:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T11:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CAIiENahu4G_FTuFjlpXcWzy5SQqGQgEKhAIACoHCAownuf9CjC99vUCMM-72gU"},"modified":"2021-12-30T11:05:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T11:05:14","slug":"hamden-enacts-cannabis-moratorium-establishes-panel-to-draft-regulations-new-haven-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3349","title":{"rendered":"Hamden enacts cannabis moratorium, establishes panel to draft regulations – New Haven Register"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HAMDEN \u2014 A moratorium on cannabis establishments will give Hamden time to develop applicable zoning regulations before the highly anticipated industry comes to town, according to officials.<\/p>\n

The Planning & Zoning Commission approved the measure Tuesday, following the recommendation of Mayor Lauren Garrett, who announced she is establishing a task force to draft cannabis-related ordinances.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe state of Connecticut is going to start issuing (cannabis) licenses in 2022\u2026and then people will be able to apply to the town for cannabis-related uses,\u201d said Timothy Lee, the attorney who advises the commission. \u201cThe point of the moratorium is to give the town some additional time to research the cannabis issue and then to prepare zoning regulations regarding its use.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Without a moratorium or established zoning policies, Garrett said. those seeking cannabis permits from the town would be able to apply for the permit whose use was most similar. For example, someone seeking to grow cannabis might be subject to standard farming regulations, she said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBecause we don\u2019t have the ordinances in place to regulate the growth, distribution and sale of cannabis, what would happen is it would default to whatever was most similar,\u201d Garrett said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to issue permits until they are specific in cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On July 1, recreational marijuana for people 21 and older became legal in Connecticut, thanks to a bill Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law<\/a> on June 22.<\/p>\n

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The state expects to start accepting cannabis business licensing applications early next year, according to Kaitlyn Krasselt, director of communications for the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect it to be in early 2022, but the Social Equity Council needs to vote one more time on the income and residency requirements,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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The council \u201cwas developed in order to make sure the adult-use cannabis program is grown equitably, and ensures that funds from the adult-use cannabis program are brought back to the communities hit hardest by the \u2018war on drugs,\u2019\u201d according to the state website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Its tasks include determining what income and residency requirements give applicants social equity status<\/a>. Under state law, half of all licenses issued through a lottery must go to social equity applicants.<\/p>\n

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Once the council issues \u201cthat final approval, then it will be 30 days after that that applications will start to be available,\u201d Krasselt said.<\/p>\n

So far, at least 35 Connecticut municipalities have enacted moratoriums on cannabis establishments, according to the state website<\/a>, which shows 13 towns have outright prohibited them. Meanwhile, nine municipalities have approved related regulations, the data indicates.<\/p>\n

The list may not be comprehensive because it incorporates only what is reported to the state, Krasselt cautioned.<\/p>\n

In Hamden, Tuesday\u2019s Planning & Zoning Commission debate primarily centered around whether the moratorium should last six months, as the administration suggested, or a year.<\/p>\n