WINDHAM — The Town Council unanimously approved an amendment to the marijuana licensing ordinance Tuesday night. The amendment was made in response to a letter from Charles Hawkins, who owns the medical marijuana store Maine’s Alternative Caring at 771 Roosevelt Trail.
Under the ordinance, there are only two recreational storefronts allowed in town and four for medical use. Because of a loophole in state law, the seven medical stores that came to town before the ordinance was passed were grandfathered into the ordinance. Without the amendment, the ordinance required that a business owner who wished to change their location or ownership would have to forfeit their license and apply for a new one.
If the licensee owned one of the seven grandfathered establishments and the six others remained operational, they would effectively be put out of business by this rule. Hawkins wrote that this stymied businesses’ growth, created a “purge-type business and/or personal environment,” and limited the ability to bring in partners and/or convert to an employee-owned company.
Under the new language, current licensees can move to a new location within the same lot or parcel and change their ownership structure with council approval.
“I will be voting for what we have tonight, I think this fixes some problems,” said Vice Chairperson Jarrod Maxfield. “Not allowing them to move is above and beyond government overreach.”
Maxfield, Chairperson Dave Nadeau and councilors Mark Morrison, Tim Nangle and Nick Kalogerakis voted to approve the amendment. Brett Jones was absent.
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