TOPSHAM

In light of the passage of a Maine referendum question legalizing recreational use of marijuana, Topsham residents at the May 2017 town meeting may consider a moratorium.

According to unofficial statewide results, Question 1 passed Nov. 8 by a margin of about 4,070 votes. Topsham voters favored legalization of marijuana by only 76 votes, adopting Question 1 by an unofficial tally of 3,051-2,975.

Town Manager Rich Roedner said Thursday that, unlike the medical marijuana ballot initiative passed a couple years ago, this law doesn’t force a town to allow marijuana facilities in town. That includes manufacturing, growing, selling and operating facilities for the use of marijuana. It grants towns the ability to regulate the industry.

Many communities have adopted moratoriums, he said. However, the town is looking at least a month before rule making kicks off and nine months before regulations at the state level are adopted.

A moratorium would temporarily suspend development approvals while the town considers and potentially adopts changes to its land use regulations to address new circumstances not addressed by its current laws.

“We can get caught between the adoption of state regulations and town meeting rules if we don’t have a moratorium,” said Roedner.

Adopting a moratorium in May would give the town “time to see what the state is going to do and then decide if that’s enough,” he said, “and if it isn’t, do our own thing.”

A moratorium can last up to 180 days, at which point the board of selectmen can extend it one time for another 180 days.

Selectman Bill Thompson said he supports a moratorium for however long the town can institute one, and let voters decide how the town should regulate marijuana.

John Shattuck, Topsham’s economic and community development director, said the agricultural sector continues to be an under-realized, very strong economic development potential in the state — particularly with year-round growing technologies.

“If this is going to be a legal activity in the state and we have companies that are engaged in production under the medical steam now, I hope you will consider differentiating and not placing a moratorium on production activity,” said Shattuck. “Topsham already has at least one business that I am aware of that is definitely interested in pursuing this opportunity if it’s enacted and promulgated, that would result in the building of a very substantial, expensive structure.”

Projects of this kind are advancing in other towns and may also create jobs, Shattuck said. He added that he’d hate to see Topsham hobble itself and not participate in the legalized growing side of this industry.

Jennah Godo of Topsham, who coordinates Communities Against Substance Abuse and works with Access Health under the Mid Coast Hospital umbrella, was happy to hear selectmen express support for a moratorium.

“I think this is an opportunity as a town and a community to really look at what we want our community to look like, what we stand for and what we value, and what we want to surround our children with,” Godo said.

Data from the local high school shows the perception or risk and harm of marijuana has continued to decline, “so legalizing this is going to make my job a lot harder,” she said.

“I think that there is a lot that needs to be ironed out in this legislation,” Godo said. “There were some significant loopholes and gaps that were not addressed — a lot that relates to law enforcement.”