HOULTON, Maine — A large-scale medical marijuana facility may soon make its way to a parcel of land in the Unorganized Territory between Linneus and Haynesville.
Members of the Aroostook County Commissioners learned of the potential business opportunity from Bill McCluskey and Steve Porter, caregivers who currently run a medical marijuana grow operation in Houlton.
County Administrator Ryan Pelletier commissioners during their Wednesday meeting in Houlton why the item appeared on their agenda.
“I was down here in Houlton a month or so ago and went to lunch with former Sheriff Darrell Crandall,” Pelletier said. “Bill happened to be there and we got talking about his future plans for some property (in the Unorganized Territory for medical and retail marijuana). As you all know, nothing has been settled in the Legislature yet.”
After Mainers voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2016, the state Legislature formed a marijuana legalization implementation committee to draft rules and regulations concerning retail sales of marijuana. That work continues.
McCluskey said his presentation was informal, as he and Porter have made no concrete plans pending the Legislature’s decision.
The two entrepreneurs currently operate “Bill’s and Bink’s,” a 4,800-square-foot medical marijuana growing facility in Houlton’s Industrial Park. The pair would like to build a new facility in the Unorganized Territory of TA R2 WELS, a township located south of Linneus on U.S. Route 2A heading toward Haynesville.
“We have purchased a 48-acre parcel of property in TA R2,” McCluskey said. “It is located about two miles past Grammy’s Country Inn. To my knowledge there are no residents in TA R2.”
McCluskey, a Houlton resident and the Town Council chairman, said they intend to relocate their medical marijuana business from Houlton to the Unorganized Territory, provided they can sell their current property, valued at about $250,000.
He added they also want to operate as a retail marijuana establishment once the Maine Legislature sorts out implementation of the recreational marijuana law. Retail sales will not be allowed from their location in Houlton, as residents voted 916 in favor and 591 opposed in November 2017 to ban all retail marijuana sales in the town.
“We have no approval (from the Land Use Planning Commission) because we need to have the ground thaw out enough for us to obtain soil samples,” he said, in reference to the authority that regulates development and zoning in the Unorganized Territory. “But the Legislature is still a year out, in my opinion, in deciding this issue.”
The entrepreneurs plan to sell lots in the 48-acre parcel of land to other cannabis growers, and see opportunities for processing facilities.
“If the soil samples come back all right, it doesn’t appear that LUPC will be obstructionist in regards to our plans,” McCluskey said. “We have a lot of work to do before we can even begin to move forward with this plan.”
McCluskey said there are about 3,500 licensed caregivers in the state, supplying cannabis products to about 30,000 patients statewide.
County Commission Chairman Paul Adams said the board could not take any stance on the retail marijuana business proposal until the matter is fully resolved in the Legislature.
Commissioner Paul Underwood added that he felt the area would have to be rezoned to allow a medical marijuana business to operate from that property or else it would not be in compliance.
“I am guessing the area is zoned as general management,” Underwood said. “That means whatever is there is allowed, such as forestry or homes. A business would be non-compliance.”
“We understand this is a big change of use for the area,” McCluskey said. “We are trying to be good, responsible neighbors. And we hope you would support us.”
“The County Commissioners have no say over medical marijuana,” Pelletier noted. “LUPC is the agency that handles these matters.”
The proposed new legislation could change that, he added.
