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DETROIT LAKES
— Becker County commissioners held a workshop Tuesday to discuss potential county regulation of cannabis sales, in conjunction with state legalization of recreational marijuana.

Minnesota set up a medical cannabis program in 2014 and legalized recreational cannabis in 2023.

Under state law, you must be 21 or older to purchase or use cannabis, alcohol and tobacco products.

As with licenses to sell alcoholic beverages, approval of a cannabis license will need to come from first the township, then the county, then the state.

“They will be licensed through the state, similar to a liquor license or a tobacco license,” said Becker County Planning and Zoning Administrator Kyle Vareberg. Those licenses are approved by the township and county before they go to the state for final approval.

The state has setback rules for where cannabis can be legally sold, such as no cannabis sales within 1,000 feet of a school, or within 500 feet of a daycare or a drug treatment center.

And under state rules, Becker County is required to allow at least three cannabis retail stores within county lines.

But commissioners can decide if they want county rules to be more restrictive than state rules, and if they want to limit the number of retail cannabis sites to fewer than would be allowed under the state setbacks.

And while township and county rules governing the sale of cannabis can be more restrictive than the state, the law says they can’t be so restrictive that it’s impossible to open a cannabis store in Becker County at all, according to Becker County Administrator Carrie Smith.

At least two commissioners — Richard Vareberg and David Meyer — leaned toward leniency when it comes to limiting the number of cannabis retailers in Becker County. “They will stand or fall on their own,” Vareberg said.

Nelson liked the idea of allowing businesses with existing liquor licenses to also handle cannabis sales, since their customers are already legally required to be 21 or older.

Retail permits are only part of recreational cannabis in Minnesota, however, since the state also issues cannabis permits for wholesale, and for delivery.

And people are already interested. One man is exploring options for a 5,000-square-foot marijuana growing facility in Carsonville Township in the Ponsford area, just outside the White Earth Reservation line, Kyle Vareberg said. “He said he’s limited to 5,000 square feet by the state,” he added.

One decision for commissioners is whether to zone such marijuana-growing facilities as agricultural or light industrial, Vareberg said. Although growing cannabis does seem to be an agricultural activity, some local control is lost under the agricultural zoning rules.

“If it’s (zoned) agricultural, they don’t need permits to put up the building,” noted Commissioner Barry Nelson, who also was interested in how White Earth might fit into the county’s recreational cannabis plans. White Earth has a major cannabis grow and retail operation in Mahnomen.

Becker County does have the option of putting various conditions on cannabis licenses that it approves, Kyle Vareberg said, adding that his office is developing a draft cannabis ordinance.

A lot of Minnesota counties and cities are having a difficult time wrapping their arms around the state’s recreational cannabis law, Smith said.

“My plan was to let others muddle through and learn from them, but most other entities are struggling with this, too,” she told commissioners.

The county needs to act on the matter before the new year, and commissioners tasked Smith with coming up with a recommended course of action to be considered at the County Board’s Dec. 3 meeting.

Townships in Becker County will be able to depend on the county’s cannabis ordinance if they want to, without sacrificing their ability to make their own — more restrictive — rules later, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said at the meeting.

“}]] Under state rules, Becker County is required to allow at least three cannabis retail stores within county lines.  Read More  

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