After years of delays, state-licensed adult-use marijuana sales will begin this Friday.
State regulators finally began issuing licenses last month, after having granted conditional approvals for licensees this past spring. It is anticipated that the state’s initial rollout will have difficulty meeting demand.
Maine voters initially approved the legalization of cannabis sales in November 2016 by passing a statewide initiative, but lawmakers – led by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage – repeatedly took steps to delay the law’s implementation. Rules governing adult-use cannabis production and sales were not ultimately finalized until 2019.
“Maine adults should have had access to safe, legal marjuana years ago,” said NORML State Policies Coordinator Carly Wolf. “Nonetheless, it’s encouraging to see it finally happen now. Consumers desire access to a regulated marketplace, not an underground market dominated largely by unregulated and untaxed enterprises.”
