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Last month, the county began to consider draft cannabis legislation focused on growing and processing operations. As originally written, such businesses would be barred from locating within 500 feet of residential properties.

Two Talbot County residents who were awarded state licenses for cannabis operations spoke out against strict “no odor� requirements and the 500-foot mark in the draft rules. They asked the council to consider dropping the residential setback to 200 feet as they look to acquire property to locate their cannabis businesses, potentially in Cordova.

Many residents disagree.

“We knew we were going to have agricultural smells,� Cordova resident Donna Albright said in an interview. “We were not expecting the continuous odor of marijuana.�

Albright and others have lobbied the Talbot County Council to reject the 200-foot setback and keep the “no odor� requirement as initially drafted. Albright said at a county meeting last month that around 150 residents signed onto a petition against any amendments relaxing the setback.

Some have objected to cannabis operations as a whole.

“I have grandchildren that come over, and I would like them to not have to look at this,� Cordova resident Perry Davidson said at a July 22 meeting. “So I would ask you not to let something like this happen in Talbot County. It’s just not a great idea.�

Recreational cannabis use was legalized in 2023 in Maryland. Talbot County’s legislation comes as neighboring jurisdictions have enacted regulations on growing and processing operations. The County Council is eligible to vote on the cannabis legislation at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Discussion on cannabis among Cordova residents largely began online and at county meetings after a cultivation license holder, Lori Yates, said at a July 8 meeting that she was potentially working on acquiring the Triple Creek Winery property.

The winery, now closed, is located on Three Bridge Branch Road in Cordova. An owner of the property did not respond to a request for comment.

Yates said in an email Thursday that her entity, Hanson Street Partners LLC, prefers to locate somewhere in Talbot County and plans to acquire property by the end of the year.

She wrote that a 500-foot setback is “quite burdensome,� citing the fact that other jurisdictions use 200-foot marks for cannabis operations.

Yates says her motivation to open a cannabis site comes from her experience as a cancer survivor. She pointed out cannabis’ use by cancer patients.

“Recreational use has gained increasing cultural acceptance and has shown itself to be less dangerous than alcohol consumption,� Yates wrote.

For the residents opposed, the location of Chapel District Elementary School in comparison to the winery raised qualms. Albright also shared worries about groundwater contamination due to high water use.

Albright said she’s not against cannabis use, but that “our biggest thing is about processing in our front yard.� Speaking to the County Council last month, Albright asked that the county keep the “no odor� language.

“We are deathly opposed to the continuous odor,� she said.

Zac Hopkins, co-founder of Lady Grace LLC, the county’s other license holder for processing, said he’s reviewed more than 10 potential sites in Talbot County.

“Unfortunately, if the current draft cannabis legislation is enacted as written, every one of these properties would be deemed noncompliant; effectively preventing the production of this Maryland state-certified agricultural product within our county,� Hopkins wrote in an email.

While over 100 people signed onto the petition against reducing the setback, some Cordova residents have expressed their support for vetted cannabis operations.

“I know that these facilities are run clean,� longtime Cordova resident Sylvia Carroll said in an interview. “They don’t destroy the environment.�

Carroll acknowledged that “the further away from a residence, the better.� But she added that she sees much of the opposition coming from misunderstandings about the prospective operations.

“I’ve lived through the chicken factory and I’ve lived through the manure spreading and chicken houses being emptied,� Carroll said. “I think people just aren’t really informed as to what it is. I think they think they’re just going to be selling drugs out the back door.�