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SPRINGFIELD, VT. — The Springfield Selectboard voted unanimously to adopt their Cannabis Control Resolution. The town of Springfield voted to approve the retail sale of cannabis earlier this year after the state of Vermont passed a law that allowed the regulation of sale. Applications for retail licenses will become available on September 1, 2022, and the state will issue retailer licenses on October 1 of this year.
In July of this year, the selectboard began discussions on creating a Cannabis Control Commission with the purpose of having a local body governing retail cannabis sales in town, in addition to the state’s Cannabis Control Board. At that meeting, the town’s selectboard voted to create their own local commission with the selectboard as the members, a format in which the town of Woodstock, Vermont had successfully accomplished.
Selectboard member Everett Hammond acknowledged that he would be in favor of the existence of a cannabis commission, but made a note that he would prefer that experts on the subject be involved, and that the selectboard might not be knowledgeable enough in these matters. In response, Selectboard Chair Kristi Morris reminded Hammond that the board regulates and reviews permits for alcohol despite not being experts on the matter. Town Manager Jeff Mobus also noted that, while the town charter limits the tenure of commissions to three years, that would not be the case with the cannabis commission.
At the most recent meeting on August 15, a motion was passed to combine not only the town resolution but the rules of operation as one agenda item. The resolution, which is a word-for-word copy of the Vermont League of City and Towns resolution for supporting a commercial cannabis system, does contain a section regarding annual renewal. Selectboard member Walter Martone asked that this be stricken. According to Martone, the state of Vermont has not approved that yet. He also wanted to note that cannabis retailers, much like current establishments that serve alcohol, are checked to be sure that they are up to date on property taxes, water, and sewer bills. As the town has not seen the retail licenses yet, it was uncertain if there would be a portion that includes this or if one would need to be added.
One potential future retailer for cannabis in the town met with the selectboard at the August 15 meeting. Jessie Jesiolowski, owner of Old Growth Organics LLC, has a tier-2 outdoor cultivator status with the state of Vermont with a social equity priority status. Jesiolowski will be filing an application with the town of Springfield, and has been working with the zoning board to find an appropriate location for her business. While the original site that Jesiolowski had sought out fell through, she says she hopes to close on a River Street location within the next few weeks. The selectboard expects to receive a number of other applications from potential retailers when the application becomes available this Thursday.
Nearby, the state of Massachusetts began collecting taxes from the sale of adult use of marijuana by licensed retailers in 2018. They have reportedly collected $53 million in taxes since 2018.
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