An hour into the state’s first public airing of its proposed rules for recreational cannabis, concerns were raised about taxes, prices and labeling requirements.
Paul McCarrier, the head of Legalize Maine, the pro-cannabis advocacy group that helped write the citizen initiative that voters approved in 2016, was the first to speak and reminded state officials conducting the hearing that every regulation will raise prices.
As the owner of 1 Mill, a medical marijuana shop in Belfast, McCarrier said many of his customers can’t afford to shoulder the cost of unnecessary regulations. Every little increase, while seemingly insignificant on their own, adds up, he said.
