Local governments can also pass stricter ordinances within that framework. And some have.
Bartley had hoped to open in Brooklyn Center, but he said city officials directed cannabis cultivation businesses to industrial areas rather than retail spaces — a rule that would have forced him to split his operations between two sites, since he plans to cultivate, manufacture and sell retail under his microbusiness license.
“Some cities are adding additional feet to buffers as a way to be more adverse or to essentially try to zone out cannabis,” attorney Nicole Rash said at the Cannabis Law Conference this summer.
Rash, who specializes in zoning and local permitting, said some municipalities have pushed the limits of state law by expanding buffer zones, redefining “parks” or adding restrictions near churches, pawn shops or liquor stores.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding, biases,” Moss said. “I’m hopeful that as these businesses come online, local governments will see that these can be very good community businesses. They can bring in populations, they can bring in tourism, they can bring in sales tax revenue.”
Bartley remains undeterred. He plans to launch Green Lane Express in January.
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