[[{“value”:”
WILLMAR
— The
Willmar City Council
on Monday approved an ordinance regulating the registration and operation of
cannabis
retail businesses in preparation for the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management to begin licensing those types of business.
It also approved an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance about where those businesses may be located. Both approvals came after respective public hearings.
The ordinance regulating the registrations and operation of cannabis retail businesses was approved after some slight modifications that were pointed out by Susan Burns, an attorney for Hemponix, in a letter read during the public hearing. Hemponix is a business in Willmar that currently sells low-potency edible cannabis.
City Operations Director Kyle Box, who presented the ordinance to the council, noted that this ordinance is likely to come before the council for modifications later as the state Office of Cannabis Management continues to modify its regulations.
Contributed / City of Willmar
Willmar City Attorney Robert Scott reminded the council that the ordinance is proposed due to the state of Minnesota legalizing cannabis, and it was drafted as restrictively as allowed by state statute.
He specifically pointed out two areas of the ordinance — restricting the number of cannabis retail businesses to two and including buffer zones of the maximum distance allowed around schools, day cares, treatment facilities and parks and recreational facilities.
Per state statute, cannabis retailers are required to be licensed by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management. The ordinance for the city of Willmar establishes a requirement to also be registered with the city and outlines the local regulations that must be followed as allowed by state statute.
One of the things that Burns pointed out is that the language in certain parts of the ordinance would make selling cannabis in Willmar illegal altogether because it references federal law and cannabis is illegal at the federal level under the
Controlled Substances Act.
Box told the council that all references to federal law would be removed from the cannabis ordinance.
Another clarification that was made due to Burns’ letter is that businesses that sell medicinal cannabis and also decide to become licensed through the state to concurrently sell recreational cannabis do not count toward the limit of two recreational cannabis retail businesses allowed under the ordinance.
The ordinance limits the number of cannabis retail businesses in the city of Willmar to two, with the exception of a municipal cannabis retail business and those businesses that sell medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis concurrently.
Burns also asked about punishing the business owner if an employee, who is fully trained about the rules and regulations about the sale of cannabis by the business owner, decides to disobey those rules and regulations unbeknownst to the owner.
Scott responded to this comment by pointing out that this ordinance is drafted similarly to the other ordinances for products that require licensing by the city, such as liquor and tobacco.
“Specifically in regards to the suggestion that the ordinance is too harsh on business owners if their employees commit a violation of the ordinance, again, that is no different than city licensing regulations in other contexts,” Scott said.
He explained that when a violation occurs, the business owners for the licensed products appear before the council to explain what happened and what remedies have been put in place to ensure that it does not happen again. The council has discretion regarding what punitive measures should be taken.
The ordinance also regulates temporary cannabis events in the city, which will not be allowed on public property or in residential neighborhoods, as well as not allowing the use of cannabis at the temporary events.
As for the zoning of cannabis retail businesses, they will be allowed with a conditional use permit in the city’s general business districts, generally located on U.S. Highway 12 and First Street South, and its commercial business district, which is downtown.
“}]] The Willmar City Council on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, approved an ordinance regarding the regulation and registration of cannabis retail businesses in the city. Read More
