Maine: cannabis sales to begin in March 2020

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine cannabis enthusiasts will likely be able to buy their favorite products in stores by March 2020, after years of waiting. Voters approved the legalization of adult-use cannabis during the November 2016 ballot, and the road to legal sales has been long and chaotic.

But a key amendment adopted by the state came into force on Maine Office of Marijuana Policy now in a position to complete the final adoption of cannabis regulation, said David Heidrich, spokesman for the office.

The amendment modified Maine's cannabis legalization law, a procedure necessary for Maine's cannabis office to initiate regulation, which it should do within two months. It will likely be able to accept applications for cannabis sales licenses by the end of 2019, Heidrich said.

The state will need time to process applications, and retailers will also need local agreements, but the state sees the first cannabis sales by March 15, Heidrich said. How quickly applications are approved could depend on how finished they are, he said.

«We won't know until we get applications. It's possible that we'll get requests from someone who has everything lined up and whose municipality is aligned and is about to give them a local permit,» said Heidrich.

The commercialization of cannabis in Maine has been slowed, notably by a dispute over the hiring of a key consultant, and by former Governor Paul LePage's opposition to legalization.

However, the result is a process that will finally protect public health and safety, said Scott Gagnon, who led a campaign against legalization and has since had a role on one of the state's cannabis commissions.

«From a public health standpoint, the pace was slower, with more deliberation than in some states,» Gagnon said. «I think it was necessary.»

David Boyer, an independent consultant to the cannabis industry in Maine, said it was «disappointing that adults still don't have a place to buy legal cannabis in Maine,» but that the finish line is in sight.