Marijuana Info
This section of the web page provides information on how Hampden is dealing with marijuana, including both adult use (aka recreational) and medical.
Our Zoning Ordinance currently includes several regulations regarding marijuana:
- Section 3.1.3 – Use Table: Medical marijuana registered dispensary, medical marijuana cultivation facility, and methadone clinic are all listed as conditional uses in the commercial service, industrial park, industrial, and industrial 2 districts, and are prohibited in all other districts. Adult use marijuana social club and adult use marijuana store are both listed as prohibited in all zoning districts. Note that the revised state laws for adult use marijuana eliminated social clubs so they are prohibited statewide. Adult use marijuana cultivation, product manufacture, and testing are also listed as prohibited in all zoning districts.
- Section 4.7.1 – parking standards (for medical marijuana dispensary or methadone clinic)
- Section 4.24 – Medical Marijuana Performance Standards (for dispensaries, cultivation, and methadone clinics)
- Section 7.2 – Definitions
On July 8, 2020, the Planning Board held a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to remove the provisions in Section 4.24 regarding medical marijuana registered dispensary and medical marijuana cultivation facility. Those regulations are proposed to be added to the Marijuana Ordinance (see below). The Planning Board voted to recommend that Town Council adopt these amendments. The Town Council will be holding a public hearing on July 27, 2020 to consider adoption of these zoning amendments. Please see the Zoning Amendments page under the Planning Department section of the website for more information.
On August 20, 2018, the Hampden Town Council held public hearing on and adopted the Marijuana Ordinance; it is now in effect. This ordinance is designed to eventually include other local regulations pertaining to marijuana (adult use and medical). Currently it includes one regulation, which is a limit on the number of mature marijuana plants that may be grown on a single property by individuals age 21 or older for their own personal use. State law limits this to three mature marijuana plants per person age 21 or older, and provides three places where it can be grown: the property where the person lives (is domiciled), a property the person owns that they don’t live on (e.g. a vacant parcel), or a property owned by someone else provided there is a written agreement between the land owner and the person growing and caring for the plants. State law also gives municipalities the authority to limit the number of mature marijuana plants that can be grown on a single property, provided the limit does not infringe upon the right of any individual to grow their allotted three mature plants on the property on which they are domiciled. Given the potential for adverse impacts due to numerous individuals growing marijuana on a single property, especially in the more densely populated areas of town, the proposed ordinance limits the number of mature marijuana plants to nine, plus the number that can legally be grown by people age 21 or over who are domiciled on the property.
On September 16, 2019, Town Council adopted an emergency ordinance which limits the number of Medical Marijuana Registered Caregivers that can operate on a single parcel to one in the Residential A and B districts and the Town Center district, and to three in all other districts. Per the Town Charter, emergency ordinances expire after 60 days. Town Council has extended this emergency ordinance several times and it remains in effect until August 14, 2020 unless extended again prior to that date. For more information and to see the ordinance, click on the links below.
On January 29, 2020 Town staff held a public forum to gather opinions on how best to regulate marijuana businesses in Hampden, with the intention of better informing the Town Council on their constituents preferences on such regulations.
On September 8, 2020, the Town Council will be holding a public hearing and considering proposed amendments to the Marijuana Ordinance. These amendments will add provisions for medical marijuana, including performance standards and local licensing. For more information, please click on the links below to read the memo and proposed amendments. Based on comments from the Town Attorney review, the amendments have been revised; please see the "REVISED" documents below.
