Preston to consider 'temporary and limited' moratorium on cannabis establishments
Aug. 29—PRESTON — Residents will have a chance to comment during a public hearing on a proposed "temporary and limited" moratorium on cannabis establishments" in the town.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Preston Plains Middle School, 1 Route 164, on the proposed text amendment enacting the moratorium. Everyone at the hearing must wear face masks. Anyone wishing to submit written comments beforehand should send an email to Town Planner Kathy Warzecha at kwarzecha@preston-ct.org.
Warzecha said the commission has proposed enacting the moratorium to allow members time to study the state statute governing the legalization of recreational use of cannabis by adults aged 21 and over. If approved, the moratorium would run from Sept. 20, 2021, through March 20, 2022.
The state law passed in spring allows towns with up to 25,000 residents, including Preston, to have a maximum of one retail cannabis establishment and a maximum of one "micro-cultivator," defined as a licensed grower with between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet of growing pace. These limits are in place through June 30, 2024, when the state might consider increasing them.
Municipal zoning boards have the authority to regulate the location, sales and use of cannabis, and towns can regulate areas where smoking of cannabis products is allowed or prohibited.
"This is to give us time to take a look at what the commission and the town wants to do," Warzecha said. "The public hearing will be to get input from residents. (The moratorium) will give us time to analyze the state law. If we don't do anything, it can just fit into a similar use in the zoning regulations."
She also noted that cannabis growing and processing is not considered an agricultural use in state statutes.
Several documents, including definitions of the eight types of cannabis establishments included in the law and a summary of how it applies to municipalities, are posted on the Planning and Zoning Commission's page on the town website, preston-ct.org, along with the public hearing notice.
