Cannabis Land Use Regulations and Licensing

The Town of Eliot has opted in to a range of cannabis establishments (adult use) and medical cannabis establishments. “Opted in” means that the Town has made these uses allowable, subject to Planning Board Site Plan Review, in the Commercial-Industrial (C/I) zoning district, and has set up a local licensing program for them. They are prohibited in all other zoning districts. Zoning district boundaries can be seen using the Town's online GIS application. At the present time, the Town's land use and licensing regulations use the term "marijuana" instead of "cannabis".

In addition to these zoning restrictions, certain marijuana establishments and medical marijuana establishments may not be located within 500 ft. of a public facility, place of worship, residential property, or childcare facility. Also, based on State law or rulemaking, no marijuana establishment or medical marijuana establishment may be located within 500 ft. of a public or private school. Additional site plan review performance standards can be found in Section 33-190 of the Town Code. Local licensing regulations can be found in Chapter 11 of the Town Code.

For information on state statutes, rules, regulations, and licensing provisions, visit the State of Maine Office of Cannabis Policy website.

On November 8, 2022, Eliot voters approved amendments to the Town Code establishing maximum numbers of local licenses that may be active at any one time for certain marijuana establishments and medical marijuana establishments. These maximums were updated by amendments to the Town Code approved by voters on June 13, 2023. Further information on these maximums can be found in the documents linked below.