FARMINGTON — Voters will consider a six-month moratorium on applications, permits and licensing for retail recreational marijuana shops and social clubs during Tuesday’s special town meeting.

The moratorium would provide time for the town to adopt new ordinances to regulate these businesses.

The town meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Community Center. The Board of Selectmen will meet at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be downstairs at the Community Center.

Selectmen amended the moratorium article this week to further describe and clarify that this will not effect the rights of patients, caregivers or cultivators as determined by the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.

Copies of the town warrant are available at the Town Office.

An ordinance would guide permitting and address items such as the number of retail stores and social clubs and where they can be located, Town Manager Richard Davis said.

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Selectmen could extend the moratorium without a vote of residents.

Some towns are waiting for state regulations to be set up and this may take several months, Davis said. The town is looking to start discussions and have its own regulations in place. 

The state needed an extended period of time to define regulations for medical marijuana licensing, Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said.  

Similar to alcohol licensing, the state will license recreational marijuana shops and social clubs and leave it up to individual towns for local licensing, he said. Clubs are places where marijuana can be used, just as alcohol is consumed at a bar.

Farmington voters approved the use of recreational marijuana on Nov. 8 by a vote of 2,055 to 1,877.

Other articles on the warrant for Nov. 22 ask voters to add rules and regulations on solar energy systems to the town’s zoning ordinance and amend the Site Review Ordinance to encourage common entrances on highways for more than one business.

Voters will consider approving the method used by selectmen to authorize the treasurer to disburse funds for the town.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net 


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