The only 24-hour diner on Farmington Avenue in Bristol, the Applewood Restaurant & Bar closed in February and is being considered as a location for a cannabis dispensatory. The Applewood Restaurant & Bar started in 1992. Diaa Sami, who passed away last year, came to the United States from Egypt, ran and founded the business. (Douglas Hook / Hartford Courant) (Douglas Hook)

The city of Bristol is among the latest communities to debate the use of retail sales and recreational cannabis use. Through a series of public hearings officials are seeking out public input in how the city handles the approaching legalization of recreational marijuana sales.

Officials are looking to hear residents’ views on how recreational cannabis would change the fabric and culture of the city and weigh that against the potential for increased revenue, Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said.

The Bristol Ordinance Committee this month amended a starting framework to legislate the sale of recreational cannabis in the municipality and voted to ask the Bristol City Council to set up a public hearing before the council takes action on the issue.

The current proposed ordinances include prohibiting cannabis establishments within 250 feet of a school, church, hospital, municipal park or municipal recreational facility. In addition, any retailer, hybrid retailer, cultivator or micro-cultivator must obtain approval from the City Council to operate in the city. Approvals would be limited to no more that one retailer, hybrid retailer or cultivator per 40,000 residents.

The first draft initially included a cap of just 30,000 residents, but committee members supported the change as a starting point of discussion in future public hearings. Bristol has just over 60,000 residents.

With state legislation legalizing recreational cannabis use in 2021, the state previously had a population cap for dispensaries in each municipality but has since removed it, leaving towns to decide their own caps.

“Bristol is unique, we had one of the very first medical cannabis dispensaries in the state,” Caggiano said. “They have been operating now in Bristol for eight years and with the new state law they are grandfathered in to become a hybrid model to sell for both recreational and medicinal purposes.”

Bristol’s only medicinal cannabis dispensary since 2014, The Healing Corner is now owned by Trulieve and serves over 3,000 patients per month from that location, according to the mayor.

The Healing Corner in Bristol provides medical marijuana to patients. Recreational marijuana became legal in Connecticut on July 1, 2021, and retail sales are slated to begin soon. (Douglas Hook / Hartford Courant) (Douglas Hook)

“There is no one against medical marijuana dispensaries now, because they see the great positive effect it has on cancer patients, seniors and pediatrics among many other uses,” Caggiano said. “But the way the state law is written we now have a tough choice here in Bristol, because with a $1 million dollar fee, Trulieve can become a hybrid dispensary and also sell recreational cannabis. That is the only barrier now for recreational use at this point.”

Under state law, the fee to convert to recreational cannabis is $1 million for retailers and $3 million for producers. That rate is discounted for operators who form 50/50 “equity joint venture” partnerships with a person or business that meets certain income or residency criteria.

“The other side is we know thousands of residents already drive up to Massachusetts to get recreational cannabis and you will even be able to get it delivered to your home,” Caggiano said. “So the fact that people think we can keep recreational cannabis out of Bristol is just ludicrous.”

A provision in the state law prohibits municipalities from banning cannabis delivery. Delivery service licensees may deliver cannabis directly to a qualifying patient, caregiver, or consumer from the appropriate cannabis establishment — either delivery from a retailer, hybrid retailer, or micro-cultivator to consumers, or delivery from a hybrid retailer or dispensary facility to patients or caregivers, according to the state of Connecticut.

“The real debate here is do we allow just Trulieve or other medical dispensaries in the city. We don’t want to see long lines or traffic jams due to the opening up of recreational use. That’s the biggest issue for me. So we’re considering the possibility of adding additional locations,” Caggiano said.

The Healing Corner, which is located at 159 E. Main St., is considering switching locations in the city. One of the locations that has been discussed is the former Applewood’s Restaurant at 820 Farmington Ave.

“I don’t know the specifics yet,” Caggiano said. “What I can tell you is that the city council years ago decided to not have any zoning restrictions for retailers and pharmacies. So from a Bristol standpoint they can move wherever they want, but from a state standpoint it gets a bit fuzzy.”

Caggiano referenced a provision in the state law that prohibits approving a dispensary relocation that is further than 10 miles from the current location. The provision is intended to protect patients in accessing their cannabis prescriptions. However, Caggiano added that the proposed locations are all within that 10 mile radius.

Two other proposed locations for possible cannabis dispensaries include the former Goodwill location in the Shoprite plaza off Route 6 at 1228 Farmington Ave. and the former Blockbuster location which closed in 2009 at in The Bristol Commons at 99 Farmington Ave.

“There have been inquiries at these two locations for possible building permits out of planning and zoning,” Caggiano said. “But right now cannabis is being treated like retail establishments as pharmacies and there are no restrictions in place for that.”

Caggiano said that the focus is protecting medical cannabis patients and ensuring access to prescriptions while also considering the new laws around recreational use.

“We have not had one complaint about the viability or the need for medical marijuana,” Caggiano said. “Our decision is about how do we best maintain the service for the thousands of patients per month getting relief from medical marijuana while also addressing the change in state law to best serve our city.”

The Bristol Ordinance Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing for Sept. 6. at 5:30 p.m. to debate legislation that seeks to limit recreational cannabis use in the city.

“It’s a contentious issue, this could either change or not change the fabric of our community,” said City Councilwoman and Ordinance Committee Chair Sue Tyler. “I encourage everyone to come and speak and if you can’t physically make it, you can also attend on Zoom.”

After the public hearing in September, the next step will be for the committee to submit a finalized draft of proposed ordinances to the city council to vote on.

Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com