Recreational marijuana users would be able to consume pot products at cannabis retail stores under a bill considered by a legislative committee Monday.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Lynne Williams (D-Bar Harbor), would allow recreational cannabis stores licensed by the state to set aside room for customers to use their products if the local municipality allows it.

That would not include smoking under an amendment Williams offered to the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Monday.

“This will align with our alcohol laws, which do not allow smoking in public bars, restaurants and lounges,” she said.

Maine voted to legalize adult-use recreational cannabis sales in 2016, with the first stores opening in the fall of 2020. Medical use has been legal since 1999, but dispensaries did not open until 2011.

Recreational sales neared $159 million in 2022 and already this year, are close to $29 million, according to the state Office of Cannabis Policy.

Those who spoke in favor of Williams’ bill on Monday described it as the next logical step in the evolution of adult-use cannabis.

The bill would allow for “providing cannabis consumers with the same type of space available for drinkers, cigar smokers or bingo players,” said Heather Sullivan, who works in licensing for Curaleaf, one of the nation’s largest cannabis retailers. “Somewhere for us to interact with like-minded folks in a safe and controlled environment.”

But opponents, including the Maine Department of Public Safety and the Maine Public Health Association, warned of dangers associated with allowing on-site consumption.

“LD 839 threatens the safety of everyone on Maine’s roadways during a time when traffic fatalities have been on the rise,” said Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.

Last year, 182 people died on Maine roads, up from 136 in 2018, she said.

“Allowing cannabis to be consumed on site at retail stores will add to the risk factors that lead to traffic fatalities,” she said.

In addition, there are no training programs for cannabis store employees to help them determine when someone is impaired, but there are programs for bartenders, she said.

The executive director of the public health association said in 2020, there were more than 5,000 cannabis-related trips to the emergency room, a 21% increase over 2019.

“We are concerned this will get worse with the addition of social clubs and more consumption,” Rebecca Boulos said.

And the head of the state’s Office of Cannabis Policy, John Hudak, testified neither for nor against, saying that the bill falls far short of addressing all of the necessary issues.

“We want to be supportive of the economic development opportunities presented by this expansion of the adult-use cannabis program, but this bill as written is entirely inadequate to serve as the basis for establishing on premise public consumption sites,” he said.

Among the issues are the potential for over-consumption and driving under the influence and a need for public education and employee safety, he said.

Others argued that the bill doesn’t go far enough and should allow lounges or other spaces to allow on-site consumption even if they aren’t connected to a retail site.

“There’s no logical reason cannabis should be treated any differently than alcohol in Maine,” said Matthew Bayliss, a registered cannabis caregiver and an adult-use licensee.