North Branford Mulls Lifting Moratorium on Medical Marijuana

Photo is of Branford Medical Marijuana facility (photo by Jack Kramer)

NORTH BRANFORD, CT – Town officials in North Branford have been reviewing whether North Branford should consider joining the growing list of municipalities in the state that allow a medical marijuana facility within its borders.

A one-year moratorium on marijuana producers and dispensaries in North Branford expired in June of this year.

At recent Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, commission members have reviewed with town officials where medical pot dispensaries are in the state – but took no action on where North Branford stands on the issue.

Town Planner Carey Duques has been working on a proposed text amendment application regarding production and distribution of medical marijuana.

She has two draft applications, one for a production facility and one for a distribution facility, for the commission to review. The production facility draft has a definition and be a special use.

At the PZC’s August meeting members discussed the footage requirements and where the measurement should be taken from.

Town Planner Duques said she will re-draft with the commissions’ comments and bring the final back to the commission.

Currently, there are more than 26,000 medical marijuana patients in the state, being served by dispensaries in nearby Branford, among others.

The other dispensaries in the state are in Hartford, Waterbury, Bethel, South Windsor, Uncasville, Bristol – and two in Milford.

Later this year the state is expected to approve additional facilities to help handle the growing medical marijuana program.

There are over 900 participating physicians.

While the towns that have housed medical marijuana facilities have almost unanimously said the businesses have been good neighbors, the facilities have not been welcome everywhere.

In Guilford two years ago, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to to amend the zoning code and add a section banning medical marijuana dispensaries and production facilities in town.

While there was no immediate request to establish a dispensary in Guilford, the group Guilford Development Assets for Youth (DAY) had been pushing for a preemptive ban.

The program works to discourage young people from engaging in substance abuse and underage drinking, and teens affiliated with the program had appeared before the Guilford PZC to voice their opposition to the possibility of a dispensary here.