ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – It’s been almost one year since recreational marijuana became legal in Minnesota. While the state works to roll out the industry, the city of Rochester is looking to scale back the number of cannabis businesses it wants to allow.
“One side that kind of wants us to be big, be bold, follow kind of the Saint Paul, Minneapolis unlimited model, but it also allows us to still be relatively constrained in the number to still be relatively slow in our rollout,” Rochester Deputy City Clerk Christiaan Cartwright said.
Rochester city staff recommended allowing 14 businesses in the city and having Olmsted County lead registrations. However, some city leaders want to scale back even more. Council Member Norman Wahl stated his ideal number would be zero.
“As few as possible, so that we mitigate the harm that I really believe we will be doing to a certain percentage of the people for whom this will not work well,” Wahl explained.
As the industry is beginning to bud, cannabis educator Anna Royer explained The Rec Dispensary is ready to double its revenue when it can sell smokeable cannabis products.
“Majority of my customer base is people looking for an alternative way to manage their pain, that doesn’t revolve around prescription medication or the hurdle that is getting a med card here in Olmsted County,” Royer said.
Royer explained she believes cannabis is healthcare and the community should welcome the industry but agrees a cap on registrations in the beginning could help ease some worries.
“Kind of giving them a little bit of that leniency to take it slow, I think is just kind of what Rochester needs to kind of get its grounds,” Royer said.
Rochester City Council has not come to a definitive answer of if it should allow 14 or 10 business. The topic will likely come up again on a business agenda in August or September.
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While the state works to roll out the industry, the city of Rochester looks to scale back the number of cannabis businesses it wants to allow. Read More