{"id":449,"date":"2021-07-22T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3N0aW1lcy5jb20vbG9jYWwvYXJ0aWNsZS9EYW5idXJ5LWNvdWxkLXNvb24tcHV0LWEtbW9yYXRvcml1bS1vbi13ZWVkLTE2MzMzMzQzLnBocNIBAA"},"modified":"2021-07-22T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T07:00:00","slug":"danbury-could-temporarily-ban-weed-sales-but-some-concerned-city-will-miss-out-on-economic-benefits-danbury-news-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=449","title":{"rendered":"Danbury could temporarily ban weed sales, but some concerned city will miss out on economic benefits – Danbury News Times"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY \u2014 One city commission didn\u2019t doubt that Danbury should temporarily prohibit Danbury retailers from selling pot.<\/p>\n

But members of the Planning Commission questioned how long the proposed moratorium on cannabis establishments should be in effect.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI would urge the department to move this along,\u201d commission member Perry Salvagne IV said Wednesday evening. \u201cEconomically, the train is leaving the station. I don\u2019t want our community, our local businesses, our residents to not be able to benefit from something the rest of the state is going to be able to benefit form economically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joel Urice, vice chairman of the Planning Commission, had the opposite concern.<\/p>\n

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\u201cShouldn\u2019t we be sure we\u2019re taking enough time to look at what the implications are to the health and welfare of the Danbury residents?\u201d he said. \u201cIt seems like a year might be a little bit of a short time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The proposed moratorium would last a year or less and would give city officials \u201csufficient\u201d time to make sense of lengthy legislation<\/a> approved last month legalizing marijuana, said Sharon Calitro, planning director.<\/p>\n

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The law permits adults to smoke and possess a certain amount of pot, in addition to permitting recreational sales<\/a> in late 2022.<\/p>\n

The Planning Commission unanimously issued a positive referral on Wednesday evening for the city\u2019s proposed moratorium. The Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday evening over Zoom on the issue.<\/p>\n

The city doesn\u2019t intend to outlaw businesses owners from opening medical or recreational dispensaries in Danbury \u2014 at least for now.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s not a no,\u201d Calitro said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a yes. It’s just kind of the pause button while we sift through legislation that is … 300 pages long.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she\u2019s already found discrepancies in dates in the legislation, so more time to contact the state about problems like this would be helpful. The city would then decide whether to ban sales or how to regulate them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying prohibit it,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m saying: Let us evaluate what our options are. And if we\u2019re going to regulate it, what does that mean? And if we\u2019re going to prohibit it, what does that mean and what are the impacts?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Danbury is among a few municipalities in the area addressing the new law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Newtown has already banned<\/a> retailers, while Ridgefield\u2019s Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to discuss prohibiting pot sales at its Tuesday evening meeting.<\/p>\n

The Ridgefield commission will not vote on the proposal until after its August recess, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.<\/p>\n