2 years after legalization, Maine publishes its cannabis regulation project

Citizens of the State of Maine (United States) legalized adult cannabis use in 2016. Since then, the government has still not implemented a legal sales system. Legislators have so far faced the veto of a first governor and the lack of interest on the part of a second party. Maine residents may, however, grow cannabis for personal use, and the medical cannabis program is working well.

The Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy, the agency created in February to oversee the future cannabis market, finally published its draft regulations for adult cannabis use yesterday in a 74-page document that you can find below. It describes in detail the licensing process—which is limited to state residents who have lived there for at least four years and will remain in effect until 2021—as well as product tracking, testing, and advertising, along with waste management and licensing fees.

Preliminary Draft of the Ru… by on Scribd

Citizens will be able to comment on the proposed rules, which must be approved by Parliament before they take effect. The timeline for implementing the cannabis sales system is therefore still uncertain.

The final version of the draft regulation is expected to be published within two weeks.

«At first glance, it looks good,», says David Boyer, of Marijuana Policy Project, a cannabis policy reform organization in the United States. «This is progress, and I think it was really smart of the department to release them—since they were still working on them—so that people in the industry and activists could take a look and give their feedback on what they see from their perspective and how these rules translate, you know, in real life.«.

For his part, Scott Gagnon, former director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who campaigns against the legalization of cannabis in Maine, would like to see stricter rules on advertising or packaging.