2019.04.08 Council Agenda Item 09

The Ad Hoc Retail Marijuana Committee (“the Committee”) was created in the Spring of 2017 in response to Maine voters legalizing recreational (“adult use”) marijuana statewide in November 2016.  The Committee met regularly between July 2017 and December 2017, but only once in 2018 largely due to the desire to understand the implications of the then-pending re-write of the statewide marijuana laws in the spring and summer of 2018.  The Committee recently met on 3/7/2019 in order to discuss the Committee’s purpose moving forward in light of the new statewide marijuana laws.  (See the attached 3/4/2019 memo from staff to the Committee for additional background information on the history of the Committee, the status of current statewide marijuana legislation, and some of the discussion points the Committee deliberated at their 3/7/2019 meeting.)

Following their 3/7/2019 meeting, Committee members believed it would be appropriate to report back to the Council with an update.  Generally speaking, Committee members believe there still could be a role for the Committee to play moving forward.  The Committee expressed interest in renaming the committee the Cannabis and Hemp Committee and in redefining the Committee’s charge to include research and education on marijuana-, and possibly hemp-, related issues and, where appropriate, developing recommendations to bring back to the Council.  Finally, the Committee expressed an interest in either prohibiting or limiting, in some fashion, off-site growing of marijuana for personal adult use.  (See attached 3/4/2019 staff memo for a more detailed description of the specific issue related to off-site marijuana grows for personal adult use.)

At this time, the Committee is seeking the Council’s feedback on its recommendations as listed above.