The Woodstock City Council adopted an ordinance regarding the regulation of cannabis and hemp businesses on Dec. 28 and the ordinance took effect Jan. 17, making Woodstock the only city in Pipestone County, other than Pipestone, to have its own cannabis ordinance.
Other smaller cities, as well as townships, in the county have approved resolutions to have the county handle cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. Woodstock Mayor Austin Kruisselbrink said the Woodstock City Council wanted to have local control so it could make sure setbacks were in place to keep the businesses away from residential areas.
He said the city council based Woodstock’s ordinance on the ordinance adopted by the Pipestone City Council on Dec. 20. Kruisselbrink said the Woodstock City Council approved the ordnance in order to have something in place, but that it plans to establish a business zone in the city and then amend the cannabis ordinance to confine cannabis businesses to that zone.
As it stands now, the city’s cannabis ordinance limits the retail sale of cannabis, cannabis flower, cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles or hemp-derived consumer products to between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Temporary cannabis events are also limited to between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hours of operation for all other cannabis businesses is limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless extended by the city council.
Buffer zones in the ordinance prohibit cannabis businesses within 1,000 feet of a school, and 250 feet of a residential treatment facility, daycare and attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors. That’s the maximum buffer from schools, but less than the maximum buffer of 500 feet from a day care, residential treatment facility or an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors.
Woodstock’s ordinance requires cannabis businesses licensed by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to conduct temporary cannabis events to have a conditional use permit from the city to hold such events. Consumption of cannabis is prohibited at those events. Consumption is also prohibited in public places or places of public accommodation unless the premises is an establishment or an event licensed by the OCM to permit on-site consumption.
The ordinance limits the number of cannabis retail businesses in Woodstock to one per 1,000 residents. Those interested in opening such a business must be licensed by the state and register with the city. The initial retail registration fee will not exceed $500 or half the amount of the initial state license fee, whichever is less. A renewal retail registration fee will not exceed $1,000 or half the amount of a state renewal fee, whichever is less.
The full ordinance is available at the Woodstock City Office, by contacting the city clerk or by attending a city council meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
