Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy is preparing to launch its adult-use cannabis licensing process, more than three years after voters approved legalization in November 2016.
Regulators will begin accepting testing lab applications Nov. 18, and will start taking cultivation, manufacturing and retail applications Dec. 5, according to a Portland Press Herald report.
Maine voters approved Question 1 to legalize adult-use cannabis on Nov. 8, 2016, and the state’s cannabis industry has been waiting for the market to launch ever since. In June, Gov. Janet Mills signed legislation to approve the regulations necessary to implement an adult-use cannabis market in the state, and the start of the business licensing process is another major step forward for the industry. The rules don’t go into effect until December, the Portland Press Herald reported, but the Office of Marijuana Policy started the staggered rollout of adult-use cannabis business applications Nov. 4 to coincide with its final adoption of the regulations.
Those looking to participate in Maine’s adult-use cannabis market must undergo a background check and obtain a state-issued identification card in order to apply for one of the state’s cannabis business licenses or work at a cannabis company, the Portland Press Herald reported. The background checks will determine whether an applicant and its employees satisfy the character requirements included in the state’s law, and certain felony convictions will eliminate applicants, according to the news outlet.
Applications can be accessed on the Office of Marijuana Policy website. Adult-use cannabis sales are expected to launch in March 2020, according to the Portland Press Herald.
