ROCHESTER, Minn. – City council members discussed setting a limit of 10 marijuana businesses starting in 2025 at a study session Monday afternoon.
The state law is requiring Rochester to allow at least 10 cannabis businesses to set up shop within city limits when they are allowed to start selling the product in 2025.
City staff presented the council with options ranging from 10 to 20 or more of these operations to come to the Med City. However, most council member are in favor of the minimum to strive for a more conservative approach. Most of the Council said if the demand asks for it, council members would increase the limit.
Council member Wahl said the minimum would slow down the harm of marijuana and prevent overwhelming law enforcement.
“I’ve always said anything that the state legalizes and then taxes and then needs to set a part some of those taxes to treat the harm caused by that very product or behavior is really a bad idea, which is why I really want zero rather than 10 . . . Its just for as few as possible so that we mitigate the harm I really believe we will be doing for a certain percentage for whom this will not work well,” said Wahl.
Although, Council member Molly Dennis said the city staff’s recommendation of 14 businesses would prepare Rochester for the growth it will experience from Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion expansion plan.
“We’re going to be having exponential growth, and I would hate to look years down the line and say we didn’t have enough licensures,” said Dennis.
City council will vote on an exact limit at a meeting before January 1, 2025.
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