CAMDEN — The Camden Recreational Marijuana Working Group, a citizen’s committee appointed by the Select Board, is meeting Monday evening, Jan. 29., at 6 p.m. to hear from State Representative Owen Casas, I-Rockport, about current rule and law-making measures in Augusta concerning use of recreational marijuana.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Washington Street Conference Room, and will be televised on Spectrum Cable TV channel 1303 and live-streamed at townhallstreams.com/locations/camden-me.

The working group, consisting Gray Lookner, Eitienne Perret, Mark Kwiatkowski, Liz Smith, Edwin Horvath and Eleanor Masin-Peters, had its first meeting Jan. 22, three months after it was formed in mid-October. (See: Camden creates committee to craft local rules for marijuana sales, social clubs)

In November 2016, Maine residents approved a citizens’ initiative to legalize the recreational use and sale of marijuana. The initiative allowed for nine months of rule-making, beginning Jan. 30,  2017, about how the state would regulate marijuana sales. While it is now legal to use and possess marijuana (over the age of 21), it is not legal to sell it.

One year later, and the Legislature has yet to agree on the rules by which recreational marijuana will be sold and taxed. Many towns have initiated their own moratoriums until the state makes its decisions, or outright have voted against retail and social clubs within municipal boundaries.

But in Camden, the Select Board voted last fall to assemble its own committee to draft local rules.

The board directed Town Manager Audra Caler-Bell to write a letter to anyone approaching the town with retail or social club proposals. The letter informs them that no permit applications will be accepted until the town has drafted its own rules.

At its first meeting, the marijuana work group agreed to stream and televise its meetings, and set its schedule.

Besides hearing an update from Casas, the Jan. 29 meeting agenda also includes creating a mission statement and setting short-term goals. 

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Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657