Simsbury BOS sets date for cannabis hearing

By Paul Palmer

Staff Writer

SIMSBURY – The Simsbury Board of Selectmen has set Feb 27 at 6 p.m. as the date and time for a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to ban cannabis retail establishments in town. The ban would be for 18 months from approval and can be extended by the Selectmen. The hearing will take place at Town Hall in the Main Meeting Room.

Both the Board of Selectmen and the Zoning Commission have bene grappling with what to do about the retail sale of cannabis in Simsbury for nearly two years. The State Legislature legalized recreational cannabis but left the administration of growth, sales, and cultivation, up to municipalities. Simsbury’s original one-year moratorium ended in November, but a new 6-month extension was added by the Zoning Commission.

Early in 2023, the Board of Selectmen decided they would take over whatever legislation the town might impose making it a legislative matter. Previously, it was the Zoning Commission that was deciding if -as a land use issue- Simsbury would allow it and what regulations it would impose.

Some members of the Board of Selectmen had previously stated that they would prefer that the matter be decided by a townwide referendum in November and are hoping residents would use the 18-months to get together the needed signatures to make that happen.

See the proposed ordinance here.