Starting June 1, recreational cannabis can be sold in Carroll County.
The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted 3-2 at their meeting Thursday to change the county’s zoning code to allow businesses with state licenses to sell recreational marijuana within county boundaries.
District 2 Commissioner Ken Kiler, District 3 Commissioner Thomas Gordon III and District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein voted in favor, while District 1 Commissioner Joe Vigliotti and District 4 Commissioner Michael Guerin voted against the motion.
“I don’t think I need to highlight how dangerous today’s cannabis is,” said Guerin, who has been vocal about his opposition to cannabis use for months, saying that the drug is more powerful now than it was in the 1960s and 1970s.
“I think it’s important to mention that the ordinance we’re discussing here is a county ordinance. … I know there’s been a lot of talk about the referendum, but I read the referendum as authorizing and legalizing the use (of recreational marijuana). It didn’t say anything about the sale,” Guerin added.
During the 2022 general election Maryland residents overwhelmingly approved a ballot referendum to legalize the recreational use of cannabis statewide. In Carroll County, 41,499 (59.43%) of residents voted in favor of the referendum, according to the Carroll County Board of Elections website.
As of July 1, 2023, individuals 21 and older can legally use, possess and consume up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, 12 grams of concentrated cannabis, or a total amount of cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg of THC in Maryland. This amount is known as the “personal use amount.”
“I don’t think we should approve any of this,” Guerin said. “Sometimes states get things wrong. If the state is going to tell us what to do, and they know better than Carroll County, then why do this? Why not go a step further and say, ‘No, we do not want this.’ As far as the county jurisdiction, we don’t want to sell it. We don’t want it anywhere in our county, and see what happens.”
There was concern among commissioners that if the county refused to allow the sale of cannabis in its jurisdiction, state officials could withhold county funding needed for other services.
“The state has been known to withhold funds to get compliance with state law,” County Attorney Tim Burke said.
Burke also warned that if cannabis retailers attempting to open a store in the county are denied, they could retaliate in court.
Rothstein said though voters “overwhelmingly” voted for recreational cannabis across the state, the approved law should have included a provision allowing each individual jurisdiction the authority to decide not to allow the sale of marijuana.
“I believe that the state got it wrong,” Rothstein said. “The legislation should have had the opt-out policy in place. To allow the counties to govern the counties. They didn’t do that. If they had the opt-out policy, I could see taking another route, and having a deeper discussion. The legislation did not do that. … We are now in a position, I think we should move forward.”
Carroll County’s current zoning code already includes regulations for businesses selling medical cannabis. This vote will change the code to allow for recreational marijuana sales as well.
Two marijuana dispensaries in the City of Westminster have been selling cannabis products for several years, including recreational cannabis, once it became legal. Two new dispensaries have been waiting to open in the county, the board said during the meeting, but did not give other details.
