Ban On Non-Medical Marijuana Businesses In Westport Proposed

WESTPORT, CT — A proposed ordinance that would prevent retail sales of recreational marijuana by banning non-medical marijuana businesses in Westport was introduced Tuesday night by two members of the Representative Town Meeting. Last year, the town's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a medical marijuana shop in town, which has yet to open.

The proposed ordinance is co-sponsored by RTM members Jimmy Izzo and Greg Kraut. (To sign up for Westport breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"We just want to establish an ordinance to prevent retail sales of recreational use of marijuana," Izzo said in a phone interview with Patch. "We’re all for medical marijuana in Westport. We approve it; it’s already been approved. We’re all very excited there's a place for those who need it for medical purposes...we’re just trying to do what we feel is best for the community, and the community might not want that. We’re going to see."

According to Izzo, while the idea behind the proposal is to limit the town's marijuana businesses to the approved medical facility, its main aim is to open the issue up for discussion.

"The RTM is open to discussion. We’re not saying to people they are wrong, they are this or that; we want to have a community discussion and do what’s best for the Westport brand," Izzo said. "There’s so many different variables to this, that I find it to be a valuable discussion to have. How it plays out, I don’t know. I just firmly believe we’ve already reached a compromise in our town by having medical marijuana. This, I believe, is common sense Westport brand legislation."

One concerning factor Izzo cited is Westport's unique location, which makes Westport an easy stop for any community in his opinion and could lend itself to heavy traffic congestion were there to be an increase in marijuana businesses in town.

"It is something we need to be concerned about," Izzo said, "because we’re already a high-density traffic area in the morning."

The proposal will next go before the RTM Ordinance Committee.

"It’s an insurance policy on our planning and zoning laws," Izzo said. "That’s all it really is. It gives us time to figure out if this is what we want. There might be residents in each district who feel strongly for legalization and retail sales of it. If that’s the way the vote goes, that’s the way the votes goes. I’m just throwing something out there for debate I think is a very important social, economic and safety issue we have to look at as a community."