Billings City Council buys time to further craft marijuana business laws

BILLINGS — At its Monday assembly, the Billings City Council purchased 90-times of time to delay the licensure and zoning programs of cannabis businesses right until rules governing the firms can be set on the textbooks.

“You have a good deal of do the job to do nevertheless on these rules. It would fundamentally undermine the get the job done that you are at this time carrying out to create people rules for cannabis companies if you were being to issue organization licenses prior to enacting the zoning ordinance,” Metropolis Lawyer Gina Dahl told the Council in her presentation in advance of the vote.

The council handed two ordinances, just one with regards to zoning and a single relating to business licenses. Click on in this article to watch inbound links to the ordinances by using the Council agenda.

The delay makes it possible for metropolis staff a lot more time to investigation opportunity impacts to the community from enabling six different kinds of marijuana enterprises into the city. Some enterprise varieties involve: cultivation, producer, screening lab and transportation.

New legislation manufactured by even more exploration and Council dialogue are expected tackle where by and how many of the marijuana organization forms could established up shop, along with regardless of whether any solution testing will be required at the metropolis stage.

Condition law calls out a complete of 7 varieties of cannabis companies. Billings voters will choose in a Nov. 2 election regardless of whether to prohibit leisure cannabis dispensaries from opening their doorways in the city.

The town has determined 27 healthcare marijuana dispensaries that are technically in Yellowstone County, but close to town borders. Setting up the to start with of subsequent yr, furnishing they are in great standing with point out and neighborhood rules, the dispensaries will be in a position to offer recreational marijuana to grown ups around the age of 21.

Dahl pointed out just one health care marijuana dispensary accredited by the town and currently working in the town restrictions. The ordinances delaying licensure do not have an impact on that company, Dahl explained.

“There is a court-issued short-term restraining order that prohibits the metropolis from revoking or restricting the current license of this one particular dispensary. The proposed ordinance targets only new candidates,” Dahl said.

City Administrator Chris Kukulski explained the council is on a limited deadline to get guidelines governing cannabis organizations on the textbooks prior to the initially of the new 12 months.

“We’re in 30 days of needing to existing a draft to the community. There may possibly be just one or two committee conferences that appear with each other between then. Depending on the progress that we make this week and following, but I would say most of the dialogue is likely to take location at this desk in this home with all of you in general public meetings,” Kukulski stated.

Connected: State updates proposed guidelines on professional medical cannabis promotion in reaction to providers’ opinions