Residents and business owners in Mount Airy will have the opportunity to comment on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the smoking of cannabis at a business that sells it in the municipality.
There are two dispensaries in Carroll County that sell recreational cannabis. Both are in Westminster and both are under the city’s jurisdiction. There are none in Mount Airy.
The Mount Airy Town Council will hold a public hearing on legislation that would ban the consumption of cannabis at any future dispensaries that would open or at vape shops already doing business in town. The hearing will be held at the next Town Council meeting on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 110 S. Main St., in Mount Airy.
“My view is that I rather it be treated like alcohol, you can purchase it, take it home, and use it,” said Councilman Karl Munder, who is co-sponsoring the ordinance along with Councilman Stephen Domotor.
Munder, who does not support the state’s decision to legalize recreational cannabis, said regulating on-site consumption is one way the town can address the issue.
“Under state law [regulating] on-site consumption is something we can do,” he said.
Domotor says Mount Airy needs more specific laws regarding cannabis business.
“It proactively establishes Mount Airy’s regulatory approach regarding the State of Maryland’s legislation and regulations related to licensed dispensaries of cannabis or marijuana for medicinal purposes and is responsive to recently passed legislation related to licensed dispensaries of cannabis or marijuana for recreational uses,” he said.
Maryland residents overwhelmingly approved a ballot referendum question to legalize the recreational use of cannabis during the 2022 general election. State lawmakers established rules for recreational use this year.
As of July 1, individuals 21 and older can legally use, possess and consume up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, 12 grams of concentrated cannabis, or a total amount of cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg of THC in Maryland. This is known as the “personal use amount.”
Medical marijuana businesses were able to convert their licenses to new medical and recreational cannabis licenses before July 1. That was followed by a first round of new licenses for “social equity applicants” — those who have lived in or attended school in an area “disproportionally impacted” by cannabis criminalization — by Jan. 1.
A second round of licenses will be granted after May 1, 2024, for other applicants. Large portions of the revenue from a 9% sales tax on recreational cannabis will go to communities disproportionally affected by the war on drugs.
There are two vape shops in Mount Airy, with a third getting ready to open, Munder said. They do not sell cannabis.
Meanwhile, the proposed ordinance requires that someone who wants to open a cannabis dispensary in town, first obtain special exception approval by the town’s Board of Appeals. Obtaining special exception approval means the use of the property is allowed under the town’s zoning code.
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The proposed legislation also reaches beyond cannabis dispensaries to include tobacco shops, hemp shops and vape businesses that want to sell cannabis. They also will be required to go before the Board of Appeals to obtain a special exception.
“The ordinance identifies specific standards that must be met prior to consideration for the granting of a special exception for these businesses through our existing special exception processes,” Domotor said. “Vape shops already in town would have to meet these new specific standards of Ordinance 2023-39, as well as already established general standards, to be considered for a special exception to sell recreational cannabis, just as a new applicant would, who wishes to locate a recreational cannabis in town.”
Cannabis, hemp and vape shops would also be required to have mitigation systems to keep cannabis odors within the building.
“The town has experienced a recent influx of vape shops in its commercial districts, which have given rise to complaints from citizens about increased traffic, nuisances particularly for abutting or nearby residential properties and that the shops are unsightly and located near and visible from (roads) into the town,” the ordinance states.
Tobacco, vape, cannabis, and hemp shops cannot be located within a 500-foot radius of a residence, and they are prohibited from opening any earlier than 9 a.m. or closing later than 9 p.m.
Finally, these shops would be prohibited from displaying any cannabis signs, flashing or lighted.
H/T: www.baltimoresun.com
