SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- Sussex County Council is beginning to delve into the regulations surrounding marijuana stores and cultivation centers.
Unlike towns like Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach that chose to ban marijuana businesses, Sussex County Council is working with a different set of rules.
In accordance with the Marijuana Control Act, towns and municipalities possess the authority to prohibit marijuana establishments within their boundaries, a privilege not extended to counties.
Consequently, the County Council is proactively addressing zoning concerns, given that the existing code lacks provisions guiding suitable locations for such establishments.
The proposed regulations for marijuana businesses include a set of restrictions, such as prohibiting marijuana stores within a mile of a town's jurisdiction. Additionally, the regulations would not allow two marijuana stores to be within three miles of each other and imposing a ban on marijuana businesses within a mile radius of schools, churches, colleges, or treatment centers.
The Council's consensus leans towards permitting marijuana shops exclusively in C-3 Heavy Commercial Districts. These are places typically situated along busy roads and highways.
For marijuana cultivation centers, the county is still figuring out rules and regulations, but one of the suggestions was to only allow cultivation centers in AR-1 districts.
Nothing was voted on at the Dec. 5 meeting. The next steps in the process would be the formal drafting of an ordinance and an eventual vote from the council.Â