Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs committee has scheduled a public hearing Monday on rules for recreational marijuana sales and oversight.While the move comes almost three years after the public voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2016, review of the latest version of the rules appears to be on a fast track.
The state’s Office of Marijuana Policy said Wednesday that it had provisionally adopted rules for recreational, or adult-use, marijuana and sent them to the Legislature to review.
The Legislative Council — composed of 10 legislative leaders — had to agree to accept the rules as a late-filed submission before the Revisor of Statutes generated a resolve that authorizes the Office of Marijuana Policy to proceed with the rulemaking.
On Thursday, the resolve on the rules, LD 1837, was referred to the Veterans and Legal Affairs committee.
The public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday in room 437 of the State House in Augusta, according to David Heidrich, director of communications and senior policy adviser at the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, which oversees the state’s Office of Marijuana Policy.
The marijuana office licenses both medical and adult-use marijuana.
The public hearing will be followed by a work session to accept or reject the rules or accept them with modifications.
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Once the Legislature votes to enact the bill, it will go to the governor.
Heidrich said earlier that if everything goes through as planned, the rules will get to the governor for approval before the Legislature adjourns its first regular session on or about June 19. If the rules are approved, they will go into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns.
This story appears through a media sharing agreement with Bangor Daily News.