{"id":834,"date":"2021-08-31T19:11:41","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T19:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmN0aW5zaWRlci5jb20vbG9jYWwvbmV3c3RpbWVzL2FydGljbGUvU291dGhidXJ5LWpvaW5zLW51bWJlci1vZi1DVC10b3ducy1jb25zaWRlcmluZy0xNjQyNTgxOS5waHDSAQA"},"modified":"2021-08-31T19:11:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T19:11:41","slug":"southbury-joins-number-of-ct-towns-considering-temporary-ban-on-weed-establishments-ct-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=834","title":{"rendered":"Southbury joins number of CT towns considering temporary ban on weed establishments – CT Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SOUTHBURY \u2014 Like other local towns, Southbury is considering a temporary pause on cannabis establishments as officials make sense of the new state law legalizing marijuana.<\/p>\n

Southbury\u2019s Land Use Department, led by Land Use Administrator Jessica Townsend, has produced a detailed Southbury cannabis guideline package that explains what the law is about, its effect on the town, and the local government process needed to produce precise and effective regulations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSouthbury, like most communities in the state, are looking carefully at the new cannabis laws going forward,\u201d Southbury First Selectman Jeffrey Manville said. \u201cThe guidelines were a collaborative effort of everyone in the Land Use department and they are the ones who suggested it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The guidelines are an attempt to educate residents and its business community about the new law, which Gov. Ned Lamont signed on June 22. The guidelines can be found in a town-produced pamphlet and on the town\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is new territory for everyone and it\u2019s important to have this information available for our residents,\u201d Manville said.<\/p>\n

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Part of the town\u2019s plan is a proposed ninth-month moratorium on cannabis establishments. This would give the town the \u201ctime needed to do research and produce the right regulations,\u201d Manville said.<\/p>\n

Danbury has taken a similar approach, approving<\/a> a one-year moratorium in July. Ridgefield is considering doing the same. Newtown, however, has already banned<\/a> recreational and medical marijuana establishments.<\/p>\n

A public hearing on whether to implement a moratorium in Southbury is scheduled for Sept. 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the moratorium is the right thing to do, to take the time to decide what the regs should say,\u201d Manville said.<\/p>\n

Zoning will play a large role in the implementation of the cannabis laws including limiting the amount and location of cannabis retailers, according to Southbury\u2019s guidelines.<\/p>\n

Until new regulations are determined, current rules allow cannabis retailers anywhere retailers are permitted by Southbury zoning regulations, including sections of Heritage Road, Main Street South, Strongtown Road and Southford Road.<\/p>\n

The state law limits one cannabis retailer and one cannabis micro-cultivator for every 25,000 residents, meaning Southbury can have one of each.<\/p>\n