AUBURN — The City Council is set to make Auburn among the first in the state to pass an ordinance regulating medical and recreational marijuana businesses.
The council will first decide Monday whether to “opt-in” under state law to allowing recreational, or “adult use,” marijuana businesses in the city. If it does, it will vote to implement a comprehensive set of rules regarding medical and recreational uses, including retail stores, and testing, manufacturing and cultivation facilities.
It will be a first reading and public hearing to adopt what the city is calling its “Adult Use and Medical Marijuana Business” ordinance, which requires amendments to six city zoning ordinances.
If adopted, the ordinance would take effect July 1, when the city would begin accepting applications for existing city-approved medical marijuana businesses.
According to a city memo, registered caregiver retail stores, registered dispensaries, medical marijuana testing facilities and medical marijuana manufacturing facilities that were operating with city approval prior to Dec. 13, 2018, may continue to operate, “provided they comply with any and all state and local laws, ordinances and regulations.”
Starting Aug. 1, the city would accept new medical marijuana businesses.
If passed, Auburn will be among the first few municipalities in Maine to adopt such an ordinance, with rules for adult use marijuana in place prior to the state’s rollout of the program.
According to the memo, applications for recreational or adult use marijuana business will only be received “upon having a conditional license approved by the state of Maine.” While the “Marijuana Legalization Act” has already been approved, the rule-making has yet to be completed.
After state regulators passed significant changes to the state’s medical marijuana laws last year, Auburn officials passed a moratorium on medical marijuana storefronts and established a working group to draft a comprehensive ordinance that also included regulations for recreational businesses.
City officials have largely been supportive of marijuana businesses in Auburn, and there have already been some high-profile projects announced in anticipation of the new zoning rules.
At the same time, Auburn officials have estimated there are some 40 cultivation sites in the city, on top of at least five medical marijuana storefronts that were grandfathered prior to the moratorium.
Several portions of the ordinance were heavily debated between the working group, Planning Board and existing businesses for months, including the required setbacks between businesses and where to allow each type of business.
Assistant City Manager Phil Crowell said last week that if the ordinance is approved Monday, a final reading and public hearing would be held June 3.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
