GREAT FALLS — Cascade County Commissioners met Thursday to hear public comment on a proposal to expand the zoning areas in which medical marijuana dispensaries are allowed to operate.
Starting in January, possession and use of small amounts of recreational marijuana will be available to people 21 and over, with a full roll-out possible by October.
Commissioners voted at their meeting to not take action on the proposals and instead meet again on November 18 for more discussion.
Commissioners discussed voting on some agricultural zoning changes and saving just the marijuana changes for the next meeting but they decided the marijuana changes could impact the agricultural changes, so they decided to wait on taking a vote.
Currently, dispensaries are only allowed in areas zoned heavy industrial and have to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools.
"There's a lot of issues and concerns,” dispensary owner Dale Yatsko said.
During the meeting, Yatsko spoke in favor of the proposals, and dispensary owner Shawn Brass spoke against.
"The areas that you guys have currently put us into, there's very little maintenance on the roads. There's no lighting, very little snow plowing if any. There's icy roads, no sanding. The other issues come down to the service for the people that need to get access to their medicine,” said Yatsko.
"I bought the I-2 heavy industrial lot for my dispensary, I bought the agricultural lot for my growth and I think we need to keep it that way,” said Brass.
Commissioners did not say definitively if they will take a vote at their next meeting.
