Two small Maine-based marijuana businesses are suing the agency that oversees recreational marijuana operations, arguing state licenses were illegally awarded to out-of-state owners. State law requires owners of marijuana operations to live in Maine and to have filed state income taxes for four years. But the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy ignored the requirement, based […]
maine marijuana
Mainers spent over $250K on cannabis during first weekend
Maine residents spent more than $250,000 on marijuana over the course of the first weekend of legal retail sales of the drug in the state. Voters in the state chose to legalize adult use marijuana in 2016, but retail sales didn’t become legal until this month. The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy said the long […]
First day of recreational pot sales in Maine yields $9,464 in sales taxes
The six marijuana shops that opened Friday across the state reported $94,643 in sales, according to the Office of Marijuana Policy. A half-dozen pot shops reported $94,643.38 in first-day sales on Friday under Maine’s new adult-use marijuana program, resulting in $9,464.34 in sales tax for the state. The preliminary data were reported Saturday afternoon by […]
A long road: Cannabis goes on sale years after approval in Maine
Mainers are getting their first opportunity to legally buy marijuana for adult recreational use, but a supply shortage is a potential buzzkill. Retailers blame the pandemic and a limited number of licensed manufacturers for reducing the variety of products available on Friday, the opening day. Licenses were issued only a month ago. That didn’t dampen Matt Bourgeois’ […]
Once shut out, Maine cannabis industry now eligible for sustainable energy grants
One of Maine’s most energy-intensive industries will no longer be shut out of the state’s energy efficiency incentive programs. The trustees of Efficiency Maine, a ratepayer-funded agency that promotes sustainable energy usage, voted 5-2 on Wednesday to reverse a ban on giving energy-efficiency grants to state-legal marijuana businesses, concluding they are just as likely to last long […]
Maine’s marijuana market opening could be a letdown for many
The long-awaited launch of Maine’s recreational cannabis market will likely fall short of expectations, with some shops unsure if they will even have marijuana to sell, much less the THC-infused food and drinks readily available on the state’s existing medical market. One state-approved shop said it may skip opening day altogether, its owners unsure whether […]
Two weeks from opening, Maine adult-use marijuana stores are eager to sell
Businesses that have long waited to legally sell adult-use marijuana in Maine can finally open in just two weeks. A total of five businesses have secured retail licenses, according to the most recent Office of Marijuana Policy records. One of them is SeaWeed Co. based in South Portland. It was the first Maine-based company to […]
Maine awards 1st active recreational marijuana licenses ahead of October retail sales
Nearly four years after Maine voters legalized recreational marijuana, the state office overseeing the market’s launch said Tuesday it has approved the first six active licenses for adult-use marijuana establishments. That moves the state closer to starting retail sales to the public beginning on Friday, Oct. 9, when active retail license holders can sell to consumers […]
Recreational marijuana sales in Maine to begin, finally, on Oct. 9
Almost four years after legalization, Maine will open its recreational marijuana market to public sales on Oct. 9. Consumers won’t know where they will be able to buy legal adult-use cannabis until Sept. 8, when the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy announces its first round of fully licensed testing labs, cultivation facilities, manufacturing plants and […]
Maine predicts 1st recreational cannabis sales by end of year
Mainers should be able to buy legal recreational marijuana by the end of the year. The state Office of Marijuana Policy delayed its planned June launch of the adult-use market because of the COVID-19 pandemic but now expects to allow the first wave of recreational marijuana testing labs, grow facilities and manufacturing labs to open by the […]
