Last night the Governing Body unanimously approved legislation designed to promote the new commercial cannabis economy while protecting public health, safety, and the general welfare of the residents and visitors to the City of Santa Fe.

“We got this done thanks to the hard work of the Planning Commission and our City staff, and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” says Mayor Alan Webber. “It’s an important first step toward getting this important new industry up and running.”

The legislation amends the Land Development Code by adding a new category of specific uses, “Commercial Cannabis Establishments.” The Bill further clarifies in which zoning districts the various types of Commercial Cannabis Establishments would be permitted and adopts minimum distances between cannabis establishments and schools and daycares, and between cannabis retailers and religious institutions.

Commercial Cannabis Retailers must be at least three hundred (300) feet from an existing school, daycare center, or place of worship and a four-hundred (400) foot distance from another commercial cannabis retailer’s main entrance. Commercial cannabis retailers will be limited to hours of operation from 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM (midnight) and 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM in mixed use zones.

The Cannabis Regulation Act defines new types of recreational cannabis establishments, including the following: 

• Cannabis Retailer (commercial sales of cannabis);
• Cannabis Producer (growing or farming of cannabis);
• Cannabis Producer Microbusiness (produces cannabis at a single premise with no more than 200 mature plants at one time);
• Cannabis Manufacturer (turns uncultivated cannabis into oils, edibles, and products); and
• Cannabis Research and Testing Laboratories;
• Cannabis Consumption Areas (place where cannabis is smoked, vaporized, or ingested);
• Integrated Cannabis Microbusiness (may include combination of producer microbusiness, manufacture and retail at a single location selling only their own products); and
• Vertically Integrated Cannabis Establishment (may include combination of retail, producer, and manufacturer).

At this time, the City has not allowed for “Cannabis Consumption Areas,” which are areas where cannabis products may be served and consumed by smoking, vaping, or ingesting provided that alcohol cannot be sold or consumed in a cannabis consumption area, and entry is limited to patrons 21 years of age or older.

Recreational cannabis sales are permitted to begin on April 1, 2022.