During the regular City Council meeting tonight, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., Grand Junction community members can learn about businesses that manufacture cannabis products and provide comments about these businesses’ potential operation within the City.
Cannabis product manufacturers are businesses focused on the production of cannabis products used for smoking, or other consumption such as edible products, ointments, and tinctures. Community members are invited to attend City Council’s regular meeting and hear a brief presentation by city staff on potential regulations, an outline of a possible licensing process, and provide comment to City Council. For those unable to attend the meeting in person, a virtual option is available.
Cannabis product manufacturers are required to have both a state license and a local license. The steps to acquire licenses may vary widely in terms of what is being produced, the processes used, and whether hazardous materials are involved. These businesses may generate jobs within the community based on the type of product, the scale of the operation, and the degree of automation. There is no sales or excise tax on manufactured cannabis products. Land use and its related impacts (e.g. noise, odor, traffic) are primary considerations related to cannabis product manufacturer businesses. Unlike retail cannabis businesses, cannabis product manufacturers are primarily light industrial in function. Recommendations for regulating this land use were discussed with Planning Commission at a series of workshops in early 2021 and included at that time, was the requirement that businesses be limited to areas where general manufacturing and manufacturing of food products are allowed. Additional opportunities for community input will be available in the next couple of weeks.