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 Office of Marijuana Policy
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 […]
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 […]
Portland, Maine lab lands first conditional marijuana testing license
Maine has issued its first conditional recreational marijuana testing license to a Portland laboratory. Nova Analytics of Portland must now obtain a temporary municipal license from the city of Portland and certification from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct specific marijuana potency and purity tests before it can convert its provisional […]
Maine drops residency requirement for recreational marijuana businesses
You no longer have to be a Maine resident to open a recreational marijuana business in Maine. The state and Wellness Connection of Maine reached a legal agreement Monday stipulating that the Office of Marijuana Policy will no longer enforce a residency requirement on those seeking an adult-use cannabis business license. The decision essentially invites […]