A new bill in the Prince George’s County Council would restrict where cannabis dispensaries could operate in the region, just days after adult-use recreational weed became legal in Maryland.
Introduced by councilmembers Krystal Oriadha, Edward P. Burroughs, Wala Blegay, and Eric C. Olson, the zoning legislation would prevent cannabis dispensaries — medical or recreational — from opening within 2,500 feet of daycares, camps, or schools. It would also ban cannabis businesses from operating (in most instances) within 2,500 feet of any Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission land and restrict them to industrial zones.
The Washington Post first reported the news.
The proposal also adds certain regulations on businesses, including only permitting signs mounted on buildings (as opposed to near the street), and limiting operating hours to 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. Dispensaries must also be at least more than one mile from any other dispensary.
The cannabis legislation closely mirrors a separate zoning bill passed by the council earlier this year attempting to curtail the proliferation of 24/7 tobacco and smoke shops in the county; approved unanimously in March, the law restricts business hours to 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and only allows them to operate in industrial zoning areas. While the cannabis dispensary bill would prevent businesses from operating within 2,500 feet of certain sites, the tobacco bill requires shops to be at least 300 feet from a school, park, historic site, library, or other specific designations. The council is also currently considering a third bill, which would update the definitions of convenience store, gas station, and tobacco shop, taking into account what percentage of each type of store can be dedicated to tobacco and cannabis sales.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Colleen Grablick over at DCIST
