The Edina City Council deliberated on Nov. 19 about the subject of Edina’s cannabis regulations and zoning laws.
Since 2023, when recreational cannabis was legalized for ages 21 and up in Minnesota, state and local governments have been figuring out the logistics of cannabis sales.
The City Council voted for a total of five cannabis business licenses to be available in Edina. These local licenses are determined by population, with one registration per 12,500 residents rounded up. As of 2023, the population of Edina is 53,348.
The City Council also decided on zoning laws and buffer zones. Buffer zones are areas that cannabis cannot be sold 500 feet from; an example of this is schools.
At the beginning, City Council member Kate Agnew worried that if a 500 foot buffer zone was implemented, daycares would not be able to be opened due to nearby cannabis stores.
“I think from a daycare perspective, there’s just not enough providers as a whole, and so I didn’t want to do anything that would limit daycares from being able to function within the community,” Agnew said.
However, the ordinance was written the other way around, allowing daycares to be opened regardless of cannabis businesses nearby.
Agnew voted for daycares and childcare establishments to be included as a buffer zone in cannabis zoning. “I think primarily because we can always go back and look at it if it’s becoming an issue. And we had some public testimony that was compelling in support of the buffers,” she said.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Dec. 19, 2024
