The question of where new cannabis dispensaries should set up shop in Prince George’s County divided the council last fall, igniting a layered debate about quality development and the potential for legalization to advance social equity in a county harmed by the War on Drugs.
While council members never settled on whether to restrict new shop locations, they are nearly united in opposing a move by state lawmakers that would block them from doing so in the future.
Twin bills slated for state legislative hearings later this month would limit local governments from establishing specific zoning requirements for dispensaries that are more restrictive than state guidelines — effectively ending an enduring debate in the affluent, majority-Black Washington suburb.
Cast by proponents as an effort to protect dispensary owners struggling to break into a new market, the proposals, County Council members said in interviews, would silence local voices on an issue that directly impacts them. This week, the body wrote a letter to its statehouse delegation stating its opposition.
“Local