FARMINGTON — No action was taken by Selectmen Tuesday, Oct. 12, on a request to remove limits on the number of marijuana stores in town and their location.

Resident and former Selectman Ryan Morgan first brought the request to the board on Sept. 14. He wants to open a retail store in the downtown. Currently, the Adult Use and Medical Marijuana Ordinance allows a total of seven establishments for both with limitations on where they can be located. Applications for the seven openings available have been approved although not all are operating.

Morgan asked that the people, free enterprise dictate the number of stores. He also noted the ordinance was approved in 2019 and things change over time. “You have to adjust,” he said.

In the midst of the discussion on what needed to be done for Morgan’s request to happen, Morgan got up and left after Selectman Michael Fogg shared his thoughts.

“We spent a year or more working and developing an ordinance,” Fogg said. “The town voted and approved it, it didn’t just come from us. To change it, the town would have to be the ones to decide if there’s a need to change it.

“If the townspeople say they want to change it, want to allow more storefronts I’d go along with that,” he noted. “If you’re asking me, I support the ordinance. Steve (Kaiser) worked his butt off to get this thing together. We looked at other towns, other towns don’t look like this. Wilton chose to go wide open if you will, we chose to go in this direction — closed doors if you will.”

“I wish he would have stayed,” Selectman Stephan Bunker said. “I wanted to make sure he understood we’re not trying to be obstructionists. There are certain steps you need to take.”

Morgan’s frustration with the process was sensed by Bunker, who noted Morgan would need to go to the Zoning Board for a variance to open a store downtown.

“The process that we do judiciously is not just a vote for us up or down,” he said. “The greater issue we’ve got to deliberate on is what starting point do we feel confident to put in a warrant article?”

If the board decides against amending the ordinance, then Morgan would have to go through the petition process and collect enough signatures to bring it forth at a town meeting, Bunker said.

“I think (Morgan) could gain some insight in the process by going to the Zoning Board,” Code Enforcement Officer Steven Kaiser said. “That’s the first nut to crack. You learn by going through processes. I think Ryan thinks it could be expedited. It really can’t. It’s a long row to hoe.”

If the Zoning Board denied the request for a variance for a downtown store, would it stop there, Bunker asked.

It would, Selectman Chairman Matthew Smith said.

Morgan had also requested the limit on number of stores be removed and let free enterprise decide.

Anything for land use should go to the Planning Board while changes to the table of uses would go to the Zoning Board, Kaiser said. The proponent would then come to the selectmen and make a case for why there should be a warrant article (for the amendments to go before the voters at a town meeting), he noted.

Morgan zeroed in on the downtown, it might fly better if elsewhere, Kaiser said.

“He expected us to be the answer, give him the authority,” Selectman Scott Landry said. “As Steve explained to him, he has to go to one or two other places before he comes to us.”

The board doesn’t have to agree with something that is presented to it, Smith said. “If it meets our criteria we will still put it forth no matter what our personal opinion of it is,” he noted. “I would encourage Ryan to go through the process. That’s what it is here for.”

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