Weekly Update 2/15/21

At this week's meeting, the City Council voted 5-4 to increase the number of retail marijuana licenses from 5 to 8. I voted in opposition.

To recap my thoughts on this matter:

-8 retail marijuana facilities could very well oversaturate the market and undermine the ability of our smaller businesses to succeed.

-The revenue argument is a red herring. There is only so much revenue to go around. At some point, the City will just be getting the same amount of money divided amongst more businesses.

-I believe the more responsible approach is to start with 5, see how the market plays out, and determine if an increase is warranted based on whether the market can accommodate it and whether or not it will actually bring in more revenue for the City.

This change requires an amendment to the ordinance. Therefore, it still has to go through three readings, which will include public advertisement, before going into effect.