Almost two years after launching its adult use cannabis market, OCP is starting to work on its first major regulatory update. This also comes on the heels of a series of new cannabis-related laws that were allowed to go into effect in May.
The report analyzed purchasing habits for cannabis users and found that the vibrant medical and caregiver market, as well as the state’s strong adult use market has brought a majority of Maine’s cannabis users into the legal market.
Maine currently has eight medical cannabis dispensaries, but that figure does not account for the over 3,000 licensed cannabis caregivers in the state, each of which are allowed to open medical cannabis store fronts.
“This is actually our second go at getting a delivery bill through and of course, this time, the governor did not veto it, which is cool.”
The law limits the Office of Cannabis Policy from enacting new regulatory rules without legislative approval.
In Illinois, both adult use and medical retail sales were up, but adult use sales were up 15% from February to March.
The First Circuit is considering whether or not Maine’s requirement that all medical cannabis companies be owned by state residents improperly hinders interstate commerce.
Maine requires lab testing for potency and contaminants for its adult use market. Adult use operators must also track their products through Metrc. Neither requirement applies to medical cannabis.
“There certainly is a trend in the industry overall for lab shopping, or finding a lab that will give you the results that you want. Is there a good incentive for honesty in the industry? No, not directly”
A court precedent on state residency requirements in cannabis, which eluded the original attack on Maine’s requirement, would have implications across the country.
