What do these regulations mean for dispensaries and indoor cannabis cultivation?

Missoula County commissioners at their May 25, 2023, public meeting allowed for the withdrawal of the proposal for cannabis zoning in unzoned areas of Missoula County following the passage of House Bill 128, which pushes the date back on when new grow operations can be stood up from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2025. This subject will be brought up again when that date comes closer in 2025.

500-foot separation between dispensaries: Distances would be measured from door to door and apply to ground floor dispensary businesses only. This aligns with the same standards set forth by the City of Missoula and County’s regulations in zoned areas.
Energy conservation for indoor cannabis cultivation:All new and expanded structures for indoor cannabis cultivation would need to meet one of the following conditions:
1. All lighting equipment used for cannabis cultivation shall appear on the DesignLights Consortium’s Qualified Product List for Horticultural Living or a similar list approved by the County; or
2. 100% of the electricity used by the facility shall be produced from renewable energy. Examples of how this condition may be met include any combination of the following:
  - The carbon-free fraction of the energy supplied by the cultivation facility’s electricity provider (i.e., if 95% of the electricity provided by the facility’s electricity provider comes from a renewable source, the facility would be responsible for providing the other 5%)
  - Onsite renewable energy
  - Offsite renewable energy, which may be obtained through participation in a community solar program or equivalent approved by the County.**

Read the full regulations under “documents.”

**Purchase of unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) does not count toward compliance with this section.

At their May 25 public meeting, the Missoula County commissioners allowed the withdrawal of the proposal for cannabis zoning in unzoned areas of the county following the governor’s signing of House Bill 128. HB 128 extends the date for new growing operations to open to July 1, 2025. Staff plan to bring this proposal back closer to that date. ,The proposal would have required a 500-foot separation between dispensaries and energy conservation measures for indoor cannabis cultivation, which are the same regulations that already apply within the zoned areas of the County.