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The war of the marijuana dispensaries has begun in Taylors Falls.

Monday night this week the city council heard from  various parties advocating  for city leaders to get started on developing rules and regulations for retail sales of marijuana products, including deciding how many dispensaries the city will allow, where they can be located, hours of operation, security and access restrictions and a million other standards, some of which the state itself is still finalizing.

One potential vendor said it may seem early in the game, but Minnesota dispensary license applications could be accepted as early as October and certainly by early 2024— and there’s much to do in order to be able to check-off all the licensing boxes.

Under new state law a local unit of government certifies whether a proposed cannabis business complies with local zoning ordinances, within 30 days of the state sending the city a completed application for a cannabis business license.  

The business must be registered with the local government before it makes a sale, and a fee of not more than $500 is allowed to be collected by the governing unit.

Taylors Falls Mayor Brandon Weiberg said the city planning commission is getting organized to meet on drafting wording for the cannabis ordinance.  

Council member Tim Grote added the possible business licensees should be patient with the city. There will be a call for public input as well.  Grote added that from monitoring casual social media content there’s a lot of misinformation coming from posts with Taylors Falls origins, and “anxiety”  swirling around this.

An owner of a current CBD shop (a derivative of cannabis but which is not the THC component) Buck Duncan, told the council he supports pursuing cannabis- based business as a benefit for Taylors Falls. There will need to be a public education effort to erase “taboo and stigma’ around the substance he added, as well as developing regulations.  

He said the marijuana plant can be a great option to alleviate pain and lessen factors that are having a negative impact on daily health.  

The mayor invited him to be part of early discussions on proper guidance to give dispensary license holders and work with the city in writing standards.

Owners of the B & B at the old jail site said they are considering a dispensary as a way to be able to take in revenue and maintain their historic structures. The boom in short term rental operations or VRBO vacation rental by owner has killed the bed and breakfast industry, they said,  and Taylors Falls has several VRBO sites and is still permitting even more.

The general estimate on the Minnesota retail laws  is that business licenses won’t be available and operations can’t open until at least late 2025 and some government associations are advising sales won’t begin until 2026. 

A publication from the Association of MN Counties  explains that the Office of Cannabis Management is first being established.  This body will protect public safety, eliminate the illicit cannabis market, and oversees the adult use market including transport, use and possession.  

The Taylors Falls City Council has some unique issues ahead because as one speaker pointed out, the buyer can not take the cannabis product over the border into Wisconsin, so consumption is likely going to happen in Taylors Falls.  Maybe the city will need to identify use areas where they can partake of a cannabis product.  At this time the State has outlawed use in a vehicle or in a location where smoking is prohibited.

Cities may not prohibit a cannabis business from operating within its boundary, there is a legal requirement of no fewer than one for every 12,500 residents but cities may exceed this. Some cities (Center City for example) have a moratorium on applications for cannabis businesses in effect, while a study of the local issues is done. 

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