AUGUSTA, Maine - A legislative committee in Maine has approved legal marijuana rules that would relax residency requirements for companies involved in the pot business.

The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to approve the rules and send them to the full Maine Legislature. State leaders have been trying to hammer out rules governing legalization since voters approved of legal marijuana via a 2016 ballot initiative.

The amended rules the committee passed say Maine residents who have lived in the state for at least four years would have to claim at least 51 percent ownership of a cannabis company to qualify for a license. The Portland Press Herald reports the committee removed language designed to limit out-of-state control over the companies.

Officials say marijuana could be in stores by early 2020.