Lisbon council members during the town council meeting on Tuesday Screenshot

Recreational marijuana stores and related establishments may come to Lisbon if the town council approves new regulations in August.

The town council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the first reading of a proposed recreational marijuana ordinance. A public hearing and vote is scheduled for Aug. 17.

Under the proposed regulations, recreational pot establishments will only be authorized in specific locations.

Each authorized marijuana store, cultivation facility and manufacturing facility must pay an annual $5,000 license fee to the town. Any marijuana testing facility must pay a fee of $10,000, and a registered caregiver cultivation facility will pay $250, said Curtis Lunt, vice chair of the planning board.

“We looked at other towns and cities what they did with the license fee and we thought we should charge more than $200 for medical marijuana as it is substantially more involved,” Lunt said.

“To ensure everyone is playing fairly and doing what they need to do, I think the $5,000 licensing fee is acceptable, all the stuff that I read through as far as the regulations that are set forth are in line with the current medical, which hasn’t been an issue,” Councilor Don Fellows said.

The ordinance would forbid facilities to operate other than licensed premises, such as a farmer’s market, farm stands or kiosks.

Recreational marijuana facilities must have lockable doors and windows and be equipped with an alarm system that includes automatic notification to the Lisbon Police Department.

In addition, the ordinance prohibits facilities from placing any signs advertising or marketing marijuana business within 500 feet of the property line of a pre-existing public or private school.

The recreational use, sale and taxation of marijuana was approved in Maine in November 2016, but individual municipalities were required to opt-in and develop their own regulations around the industry.