Council allows long‑running medical caregiver to continue operating while city studies ordinance changes

Caribou — The City Council voted 4–2 to permit a locally established medical caregiver retail operation to continue operating temporarily while staff and the planning board prepare ordinance language to align municipal rules with recent Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) guidance.

Lede: The decision followed lengthy public testimony and legal discussion over whether the caregiver’s site qualifies under OCP’s grandfathering provisions and whether the city has municipal approval language in its code to permit a caregiver retail storefront.

Why it matters: OCP guidance issued in 2024 changed terminology and municipal expectations, removing explicit “office space” language and introducing a “caregiver retail storefront” classification. Several councilors and the manager warned that inconsistent local wording and state interpretations have forced a number of towns to litigate or close longstanding caregivers; others urged a pragmatic approach to preserve a local business and its community services.

What happened at the meeting: Jennifer Belcher, attorney and representative for caregiver businesses, and the operator in question addressed the council; staff said the city had collected business personal property taxes from the operator but had not previously adopted a municipal ordinance explicitly authorizing caregiver retail storefronts prior to the 2018 threshold referenced in OCP materials. The manager advised the council that the specific OCP form question asking whether a caregiver “was operating with municipal approval prior to 12/13/2018” could not be answered affirmatively under current municipal records.

Council action: The council voted 4–2 to allow the operator to continue business operations while staff, the planning board and an ad hoc review (or ordinance process) work to draft compliant municipal language. The manager emphasized the city is still subject to state enforcement decisions; the vote was a local administrative determination to avoid immediate closure while an ordinance is drafted.

Next steps: Staff were asked to bring draft ordinance language and a path to compliance to a future meeting; the council directed city staff to coordinate with the planning board and to return recommended changes to the municipal code for public hearing.

Ending: Councilors said they want a legally defensible ordinance that recognizes longstanding local medical caregiver operations while preventing uncontrolled expansion and ensuring public safety and zoning consistency.