Thread by @shayshinecastle

Moving on: Hemp licensing. I haven't done much reporting on this, so I'm not sure how much I'll have to add. Presentation here: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Item_5A_H…

Kathy Haddock going over *why* Boulder is attempting to regulate hemp a bit. Bc it stinks (like weed) and can be dangerous when extracted.

But the city is *only* looking to regulate those issues, not things like retail sales because: No THC.

There are 55 hemp biz in Boulder (up from 28 in Feb 2019, and compared to 54 marijuana biz)

All hemp biz were emailed about virtual city meetings; none attended

There will be no background checks for hemp licenses
License would last 2 yrs to match up with state process

Boulder's new Cannabis License and Advisory Board already "feels like it's drinking from the fire hose," Haddock says. So they may weigh in later once they catch up.

CLAB (ugh, I hate that acronym) deals with both hemp and marijuana

For hemp, suggested license fees:
$1,200 to apply for license
$400 for annual registration fee
$1,100 annual renewal fee
$250 for biz name change or similar

$250-$1,200 for modification of premises ($250 for minor cultivation change, $500 for minor extraction change, $1,000 for major cultivation change, $1,200 for major extraction change)

OK, sorry, took a break there to move outside bc it is lovely on my porch.

I think applications and licenses won't be issued until next year.

Young q: Will hemp biz be required into Energy Impact Offset Fund? (Bc they use a ton of energy)
No, Haddock says. We can on marijuana bc it's heavily regulated. Hemp isn't.

Young: But they do use energy at the same intensity as marijuana?
Haddock: I shouldn't say exactly the same, bc I'm not an expert, but it's pretty close to exactly the same.

That's cultivation (or grows) btw.

There have been a couple qs about regs that prevent hemp/marijuana biz from locating too densely (no more than 3 within 500 ft radius). But existing businesses will be grandfathered in. (Though Wallach questioned that)

I'm no expert on this topic, but council's qs seem particularly dumb tonight. Or maybe I'm just cranky.

A 30-day grace period is built into this license, which none of the other city licenses have, Haddock says.

Young asking why, when the city sends out 90-day renewal notices.
Carr: There's a significant disadvantage if your license lapses. If it does, you lose your business. You can't just reapply, particularly bc biz are being grandfathered in.

This reminds me that I probably need to pay my sales tax. I haven't received anything from the city, and I actually don't owe any $$ bc my type of biz is exempt. But still.

And maybe I need to renew my biz license....? Idk how any of this works. Help.

There are exactly 2 speakers for this public hearing.

Honestly it's too boring to tweet.
It's nice to ease back into council with run-of-the-mill stuff like business licensing. Gives me time to gird my loins before ppl start frothing at the mouth about homelessness and housing and prairie dogs.

Lots of council thoughts. Here's one: Young wants hemp to pay into the Energy Impact Offset Fund. Suggests CLAB look into it.

I totally forgot Brockett isn't here tonight. So when I said "gang's all here" I was lying. He's on vacay with the fam in the mts.

Yates: We should encourage these biz to cluster bc the more spread out they are, the more parts of town that are affected by odor.

Also says staff has "sophisticated equipment" to detect odor. I think they're called noses.

Yates made a motion but it failed 5-3.
Young making one now, without the amendments that Brockett had suggested. So, if this passes: No grace period and still only 3 hemp/marijuana biz within 500 ft of one another.

(Yates included those Brockett amendments)

Still much talk about missing deadlines for license renewals.

A little surprised by this discussion. Honestly thought we'd breeze right through this. But there's an underlying wariness when it comes to cannabis in Boulder.

Mayor Weaver makes the point that CLAB will have almost 2 yrs to weigh in before this program kicks in.

Council votes unanimously to pass licensing and fees.

Young making a second motion that CLAB look at this and make recommendations *before* summer 2022, if at all possible.

That passes unanimously, too.

All done with this one: @threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!