Two downtown cannabis businesses hoping to sell adult-use marijuana have found themselves at the center of a zoning debate, as Fergus Falls city leaders raise concerns over their proximity to local parks.
At a Fergus Falls City Council meeting earlier this month, council member Mike Mortenson questioned whether the dispensaries Elevate and Sugar High were located too close to what city ordinance defines as an "attraction" within a park used by minors. City code prohibits cannabis retailers from operating within 250 feet of such attractions.
Mortenson argued the ordinance's language remains vague. "No one within the Office of Cannabis Management or, you know, locally, can have a true definition of what an attraction is," Mortenson said.
Elevate, a downtown hemp store opened in 2022, sits approximately 230 feet from the parking lot of Spies Park. But co-owner Kris Stach disputes the idea that the area is a children's attraction.
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