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PERHAM
— The Otter Tail County Board set a public hearing for Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the Government Services Center, located at 500 West Fir Avenue in Fergus Falls, to review its proposed ordinance regarding cannabis and hemp-related businesses and product sales.
During the commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, commissioners were informed the county is in the process of creating a webpage where the county’s cannabis draft ordinance will be posted. The webpage is also expected to have a comment section where questions can be asked and concerns can be expressed.
The
Ordinance to Regulate Cannabis and Lower-Potency Hemp Edibles
was attached to the commissioner’s board packet (starting on page 58). It stated, “The purpose of this ordinance is to regulate the sale and use of cannabis and cannabis derived products, including lower-potency hemp edibles, within Otter Tail County.”
It was noted at the meeting, if the ordinance is approved, the regulations will extend to all cities, townships and areas inside of the county, regardless if those entities have ordinances in place regarding sales and cultivation of cannabis products or hemp products.
The draft ordinance document stated the policy objective is to safeguard public health and require responsible regulation of the new industry. Once an ordinance is put into place, any business hoping to offer cannabis sales in the county must submit a completed registration form to the county administration office. Once submitted, the application would be presented to the county board for consideration.
According to the draft ordinance, all cannabis businesses would need to register with the county. (Even operations with state licenses would be required to register, or risk civil penalties.)
Screen capture / Otter Tail County Commissioners meeting
The draft ordinance defines several restrictions when it comes to business operations, including:
• Cannabis businesses would be for the consumption of those 21 and older, unless the individual is enrolled in the registry program and the cannabis business holds a medical cannabis retail endorsement. (The ordinance notes lower-potency hemp edible beverage sales would be allowed for on-site consumption at brew pubs, hotels and restaurants, as defined in the state statutes, as long as the business was registered with the County.)• Cannabis business hours of operations are regulated in the draft ordinance to between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days a week.• The location of a cannabis business is prohibited in several areas by the draft ordinance. Such businesses would need to be at least 1,000 feet away from educational institutions and at least 500 feet from residential treatment facilities, group homes and halfway houses, parks or trails and other public amenities used by minors, and from another cannabis business.
“}]] County ordinance regarding regulation of cannabis businesses and hemp-related product sales would include all cities, townships and communities in the county. Read More