LAS CRUCES TO RECONSIDER 300 FOOT MARIJUANA BUFFER

A scant eight months ago the Las Cruces city council decided to KEEP the 300-foot buffer between cannabis dispensaries and family residential areas.

The city council is now, once again, considering removing the rule that requires a 100-yard buffer area. The buffer applies not only to neighborhoods but also to other dispensaries. As it stands now, you can't open a cannabis business too close to a pre-existing cannabis business.

High Horse Cannabis Company had to go through a special permit process because their proposed site was right next to a neighborhood. If the buffer rule is struck down, would-be dispensaries would not have to go through the process of obtaining a special permit.

According to High Horse, most special use permits are eventually granted…but, the distance requirements and permit process place a burden on small businesses.

Public opinion on the buffer rules falls into three general categories. One, is people who want to KEEP the buffer, citing the need to keep these kinds of businesses away from areas where children could see them so close to where they live.

Second, those who think law-abiding businesses, even cannabis shops, shouldn't be put under an onus that other businesses, such as bars, don't have to deal with.

In the third camp are those who maybe want to keep a 300 ft. buffer between neighborhoods but think dispensaries SHOULD be allowed to be as close as they want to OTHER dispensaries.

Some in this group say that having the cannabis business close to one another would increase consumer convenience while keeping them away from residential areas.