The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission signed off Wednesday on the city's proposed zoning regulations for medical marijuana businesses.
The regulations limit dispensaries to mixed-use and certain commercial and industrial districts, and they cannot be within 1,000 feet of another dispensary.
City Director of Economic Development and Policy Nick Doctor said that distance is consistent across similar cities and is meant to address law enforcement agencies' concerns.
"Concerns about it being exclusively a cash-based industry and some of the public safety concerns that’s raised in other communities," Doctor said.
INCOG Land Development Manager Susan Miller said a lot of research went into the regulations, but some came down to anticipating Tulsans’ anxieties about marijuana businesses.
"I’m not sure I want Brookside with, you know, five dispensaries that I could go to within walking distance from my house, and I think a lot of other citizens may feel the same way," Miller said.
Miller said Tulsa is the first city in Oklahoma to tackle marijuana zoning, and its regulations will be different from others.
"Tulsa is the densest city in Oklahoma. So, you know, our development is going to be closer – Oklahoma City, they could have as many dispensaries on that map, and you would never – they wouldn’t be within driving distance of one another," Miller said, referring to a map showing where dispensaries could open in Tulsa.
The zoning regulations also address medical marijuana growers and processors. They and dispensaries must have ventilation systems that prevent odors from making it outside their enclosed spaces. Growers are allowed in agricultural areas and classified as horticulture nurseries, while processors are considered high-impact manufacturing and industry.
Planning commission approval is the first step in adopting the regulations. They now go to the city council.
