Town officials in Clinton, Skowhegan and Winslow took steps to enact restrictions on retail marijuana establishments this week, joining about two dozen other communities acting in the wake of the Nov. 8 vote to legalize marijuana.

In Clinton, the board of selectman voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass an emergency moratorium on retail marijuana establishments. The moratorium will stand for 60 days unless extended or repealed by selectmen, and it allows the planning board time to prepare changes to the land-use ordinance. Residents will have the opportunity to vote on the measure at the Town Meeting in June.

Also on Tuesday night, the selectmen in Skowhegan agreed to move forward with a local ordinance that would prohibit all types of retail marijuana establishments and retail social clubs under the state’s municipal home rule authority. The next step will be a public hearing leading up to a vote of Skowhegan residents at the Town Meeting in June.

In Winslow, the town council voted Monday night to approve the first reading for a moratorium on recreational marijuana establishments that would give the council 180 days to finalize the rules and regulations for retail stores, cultivation facilities and social clubs.

The Nov. 8 vote on Question 1 made it legal for those 21 or older to use or possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for recreational use. It also legalized recreational marijuana businesses, such as stores, growing facilities and social clubs.

The roughly two dozen communities that have enacted some form of moratorium on recreational marijuana include Augusta, Farmington, Gardiner, Oakland, Madison, Portland, Westbrook, Norridgewock and Oakland.

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