Cape Girardeau Planning, Zoning Commission to discuss medical marijuana regulation

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Wednesday, June 12 to discuss local medical marijuana regulation.

They will have a draft of the amendment, but are currently encouraging public comment.

The draft will go before the commission on Wednesday for a vote. They will either recommend it as written or recommend it for changes. It will then head to the City Council on July 1.

The Cape Girardeau City Council and other city leaders met on Monday, June 3 to discuss the zoning options for medical marijuana dispensaries.

You can click here to take the city’s survey on buffer zones.

The council discussed and debated the buffer zone for marijuana dispensaries.

According to Missouri law, shops should be 1,000 feet away from churches, schools, daycares, etc.; however, municipalities can make them smaller.

If Cape Girardeau sticks to 1,000 feet, it would exclude most of it, if not all, of the retail space in the downtown area.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss a proposal to make it 200 feet downtown, the same as alcohol, and 1,000 feet in the rest of the city.

Instructions and medical marijuana forms will be available for patients and industry members in Missouri starting on Tuesday, June 4.

The previous meeting on Friday, May 17 included discussions on state level guidelines, hours of operations, zoning and licenses.

You can click here to see a zoning map.

The City’s Planning & Zoning Commission will decide where marijuana dispensaries, testing facilities, and possible growing operations could be placed in the city while taking daycares, churches and schools into that consideration.

They also discussed the three types of facilities Cape Girardeau can have: growing, testing and dispensaries.

Some of the council members supported embracing the new business opportunities as a source of job creation, while others were concerned about the social impacts of normalizing marijuana.

According to officials, medical marijuana will not have a special local tax, it would only be subject to standard sales tax.

Local cities cannot prohibit medical marijuana per State law, but can regulate the location and hours of those businesses.

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