Cannabis Dispensary Jeffersonville Near School Faces Community Pushback, Cambridge 2026

Key Points

• Residents in Cambridge and Jeffersonville are outraged over a proposed cannabis dispensary at 168 Main Street located too close to Cambridge Elementary School at 186 School Street
• The dispensary owner, Renee Porter of Clean Country Cannabis in Johnson, seeks to move her business to Jeffersonville after years of building issues and declining business
• The Vermont Cannabis Control Board approved her license transfer request in January, but local approval from the Cambridge Selectboard is still required
• Krista Huling, a Cambridge parent and former teacher, launched a petition against the dispensary with close to 200 signatures
• The proposed location technically complies with the state’s 500-foot buffer zone policy since property boundaries do not adjoining the school, despite being within 500 feet
• The Cambridge School Board passed a resolution requesting the selectboard increase the buffer zone to 1,000 feet regardless of whether property adjoins
• Huling has begun a separate petition asking voters to outlaw retail cannabis sales, requiring signatures from 5% of Cambridge’s population
• Cambridge Selectboard chair Cody Marsh noted the irony of residents criticizing too many regulations while demanding new cannabis-specific rules
• Porter expressed she is heartbroken by the town’s reception and stated kids would not be allowed to enter her store

Cambridge (Cambridge Tribune) June 12, 2026 – Jeffersonville residents are outraged that a proposed cannabis dispensary on Main Street would be built so close to the town elementary school, but the state’s regulating body said the business owner has every right to operate from the location.

The dispute centers on the proposed dispensary location at 168 Main Street, next to Espresso on Main, which sits near Cambridge Elementary School at 186 School Street in the heart of Jeffersonville village. Residents argue the location is too close to the school, even though it technically complies with Vermont’s dispensary buffer zone policy.

Who Is the Business Owner Seeking to Move the Dispensary?

As reported by the News & Citizen, Renee Porter, the owner of Clean Country Cannabis in Johnson, is seeking to move her business to Jeffersonville after years of building issues and declining business. Porter had previously identified a location on Route 15 in Cambridge but later settled on the village property at 168 Main Street.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board greenlit her request for a license transfer in January. However, before Porter can start selling products, her application must appear before the local cannabis control board the Cambridge Selectboard and undergo a final round of site inspection and state approval.

How Did parents Discover the Proposed Dispensary and React?

Krista Huling, a Cambridge parent and former teacher, discovered the dispensary one morning this winter when she dropped her kids off at school and noticed advertisements in the building’s window about a business that was “coming soon”. She has since launched a petition against the proposed dispensary, which has garnered close to 200 signatures.

Huling has appeared at several public meetings to speak out against the proposed dispensary. She testified at a Cannabis Control Board meeting in January and at the Cambridge Selectboard meeting last Tuesday. The dispensary was also the subject of discussion at a Cambridge School Board meeting last Wednesday.

What Are the Specific Grievances Listed in the Petition Against the Dispensary?

The petition encompasses a host of grievances beyond proximity concerns. According to Huling, the proposed dispensary is too close to both Cambridge Elementary School and the Varnum Memorial Library. Additionally, Huling argued that Cambridge, as a municipality, is lacking local authority over retail cannabis sales.

The town has not implemented zoning policies or overlaid its own rules for retail sales, as other towns in Vermont have done. Local rules, if established, would supersede the state’s policies. Without local policies, the town is subject to the state’s rules, which dictate that a dispensary cannot operate within 500 feet of a school or adjoin school property.

Why Does the State Say the Location Complies with Buffer Zone Rules?

For some schools in rural areas just outside of town, the 500-foot threshold is easily attainable. However, Cambridge Elementary School operates in the heart of Jeffersonville among a patchwork of residential and business properties, exposing nuances in the state’s buffer zone policy that has sparked a lively debate in Cambridge.

According to correspondence between the Cannabis Control Board and Cambridge Selectboard, the proposed dispensary at 168 Main Street complies with the state’s policy. Although it is within 500 feet of the school, the property boundaries do not adjoining.

“The agency is obligated to apply the buffer zone rule in the administrative code even if we don’t love the result,”

Gabriel Gilman, general counsel to the Cannabis Control Board, said.

“If the site complies with bylaws, ordinances, and the buffer zone rule, the board does not have legal authority to rule it out on prudential grounds”.

Gilman added,

“The possibility of landing a dispensary so close to a school does raise questions about whether the buffer-zone rule ought to be tightened in the next round of rulemaking”.

What Actions Are School Board Members and Parents Taking Next?

Huling was appalled by the ruling and last Tuesday called on the selectboard to draft its own cannabis rules. School board members, who met the following evening, agreed. They passed a resolution officially requesting that the selectboard increase the buffer zone to 1,000 feet, regardless of whether a property adjoins the school.

If that doesn’t work, Huling has begun a separate petition asking voters to outlaw retail cannabis sales, even though voters approved it in 2022. Reversing that vote first requires signatures from 5% of Cambridge’s population before it reaches the ballot. Existing dispensaries at the time of the vote, of which there is currently one in Cambridge, could continue to operate.

“If we can’t regulate and the state can’t protect us, then we aren’t ready for cannabis retail,”

Huling said.

What Is the Selectboard Chair’s Position on New Cannabis Regulations?

The Cambridge Selectboard chair was not enthusiastic about the precedent of regulating businesses in town. Cody Marsh, chair of the Cambridge Selectboard, noted that regulating businesses is something his board has done on very few occasions, if ever.

At last week’s meeting, Marsh pointed to tobacco and alcohol retailers that are equidistant from Cambridge Elementary School. He noted someone had previously said they have no issues with the existing dispensary, Cambridge Cannabis Company, on Church Street near Route 15.

“It was just a couple weeks ago at the last meeting that we were criticized for having too many regulations in this town,”

Marsh said.

“To a point, it’s a little ironic that it’s the total opposite here tonight”.

How Does the Business Owner Respond to Community Concerns?

Porter said she’s heartbroken by the town’s reception of her business so far. Kids, she said, would not be allowed to enter her store.

“If this does work out and I do open, I really hope the community can come in, like concerned parents, just to talk to us and have a conversation about what we’re about,”

Porter said.

Background on the Cannabis Dispensary Development in Jeffersonville

This development stems from Vermont’s 2022 voter approval of retail cannabis sales, which established the state’s current regulatory framework under the Vermont Cannabis Control Board. The state’s administrative code includes a buffer zone rule prohibiting dispensaries from operating within 500 feet of a school or adjoining school property. However, the rule specifies “adjoining” property boundaries, creating a gap when properties are within 500 feet but do not share boundaries.

Cambridge is one of few Vermont towns that has not implemented local zoning policies or overlay rules for retail cannabis sales. Most other Vermont towns have established local rules that supersede state policies, allowing them to set stricter buffer zones or additional restrictions. Currently, there is one existing dispensary in Cambridge Cambridge Cannabis Company on Church Street near Route 15 which was operational before the 2022 vote and can continue operating regardless of any future ban.

Renee Porter’s Clean Country Cannabis has operated in Johnson for years but has faced building issues and declining business, prompting her search for a new location. She initially identified a site on Route 15 in Cambridge before settling on the 168 Main Street property in Jeffersonville village. The Cannabis Control Board approved her license transfer request in January 2026, but local Selectboard approval remains required before she can begin sales.

How Will This Development Affect Cambridge and Jeffersonville Residents?

This development could significantly impact Cambridge and Jeffersonville residents, particularly families with children attending Cambridge Elementary School. If the buffer zone remains at 500 feet without adjoining property requirements, more dispensaries could potentially locate near schools throughout rural Vermont communities where residential and business properties mix.

Parents like Huling may face continued uncertainty about whether the state will protect their children from proximity to cannabis retail operations. If the School Board’s request for a 1,000-foot buffer zone fails, residents might need to pursue the voter outlaw petition, which requires 5% of Cambridge’s population to sign before reaching the ballot. This process could take months and create community division.

The business owner, Porter, faces potential financial loss if approval is denied after years of building issues and declining business at her Johnson location. She has expressed hope that community conversation could resolve concerns, but the current opposition with 200 petition signatures suggests significant resistance.

For Cambridge as a municipality, this dispute highlights the consequences of not establishing local cannabis zoning policies. Towns without local rules remain subject to state policies, which may not account for unique local circumstances like Jeffersonville’s mixed residential-business layout. Selectboard chair Marsh’s concern about setting business regulation precedents suggests Cambridge may hesitate to establish new cannabis-specific rules, potentially leaving residents without local protection.

The outcome could also influence other Vermont towns considering whether to implement local cannabis regulations. If Cambridge fails to establish stricter buffer zones, other rural towns with similar school-location challenges may face identical disputes. Conversely, if Cambridge successfully increases the buffer to 1,000 feet, it could set a precedent for other towns seeking to protect their schools.

Residents concerned about tobacco and alcohol retailers near schools may also question why cannabis receives different treatment. Marsh’s point about equidistant tobacco and alcohol retailers highlights potential inconsistencies in how different regulated products are treated near schools. This could lead to broader debates about whether all regulated substances should face identical proximity restrictions.