Living Near A Marijuana Business

Hello readers!  I’d just like to start by saying thank you for checking out our blog and if there is anything you’d like us to write about or look into, please let us know!  I’d like to share some information about a document issued by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) about two months ago, providing state/city politicians and officials information about upcoming details relating to the legalization of marijuana.  This document goes in depth into what marijuana businesses will be like in the state, relating to the actual businesses themselves, guidelines, restrictions, licensing/certification, etc.

 “The document provides the first in-depth breakdown of types of marijuana establishments. The document is intended to offer local officials details to help them make decisions about whether to enact an outright ban or simply limit the number and/or types of recreational marijuana businesses.”  This is a very interesting concept and requires us to look beyond the surface because this means even if you voted for legal marijuana use and sales, you still may not be able to buy or sell locally.  It is up to local officials whether or not they’d like to see marijuana establishments in their towns.  There are people who voted to legalize marijuana for their own personal views, yet they may not want it around them just from the stigma that drugs bring.  The assumptive view is that if there are drug establishments in a certain town, it may bring neighborhood property value down, could attract crime, attract people who do other drugs, or other negative effects that are associated with drug use.  This is definitely something to think about.

 I will cite the details of the document and provide a link to it in a further blog post.  For this post in particular I’d like to wage a few questions and gain some insight on reader’s views on marijuana establishments being located in their town/city.  Would you feel comfortable living near a marijuana establishment?  What are some reasons you may think people voted for legalization but don’t want it in their town?  Should there be a city/town wide vote instead of local officials making decisions for us?  This is a great time to get the conversation started.

Please think about these and let us know what you think!

Reference: Lakeman, David (17 Jan. 2018) CCC Releases Guidance Document For Local Officials on Marijuana Law .   Retrieved on 5 March 2018 : https://www.mma.org/ccc-releases-guidance-document-local-officials-marijuana-law