FAIRFIELD — Town councilors are scheduled to decide Wednesday night whether Fairfield will allow retail marijuana businesses in certain town zones.
At the 6:30 p.m. meeting in council chambers at the Fairfield Community Center, several proposed ordinance changes, including a land use amendment that would allow retail marijuana businesses in the town’s village, commercial, industrial and rural zones, will be considered. Retail marijuana businesses would not be allowed in all other town zones.
The change, if adopted, would allow retail marijuana stores, cultivation facilities, manufacturing facilities and testing facilities to open in those land-use districts and would require any such establishments to obtain permits and licensing from the Fairfield Planning Board, the Town Council, and state.
“No person, firm, or corporation may operate a retail adult use marijuana store facility, an adult use marijuana cultivation facility, an adult use marijuana products manufacturing facility, or an adult use marijuana testing facility, without a valid Conditional Use Permit issued by the Town of Fairfield Planning Board, and an annual adult use marijuana municipal license issued by the Municipal Officers, and an adult use marijuana license issued from the State of Maine Licensing Authority,” according to a draft copy of the proposal available on the town’s website.
In July, the Maine Legislature overrode a veto of Gov. Paul LePage and enacted L.D. 1719, An Act to Implement a Regulatory Structure for Adult Use Marijuana. Under that law, municipalities have the option of allowing retail marijuana establishments.
Maine voters narrowly passed the Marijuana Legalization Act by referendum in November 2016, and it took the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation multiple attempts to develop the regulatory structure.
Matt Junker — 861-9253
Twitter: @mattjunker
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