Rebecca Henry
Sweet Dirt exterior shot.
January 12, 2023
Eliot cannabis shops keep growing, catering to out-of-staters
Alexis Wells
Organic Goods Dispensary sees many customers from New Hampshire and Massachusetts due to lower prices for medical marijuana in Maine.
The Maine marijuana industry has blossomed over the past few years, especially in Eliot.
The small Southern Maine town across the Piscataquis River from Dover and Newington, N.H., is getting a reputation as the New Green Mile, thanks to a cluster of new retail and medical marijuana dispensaries, including
Organic Goods Dispensary, Cannabis Cured Recreational Weed Dispensary Eliot, East Coast Cannabis-Eliot, and Sweet Dirt Medicinals Cannabis.
According to the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, sales for adult-use pot in 2022 nearly doubled from 2021, with almost $159 million reported in sales in 2022, compared to just less than $82 million in 2021.
Part of the reason why Maine cannabis sales are soaring could be due to the number of out-of-state users, according to shop owners.
Will Dunphey, owner of Organic Goods Dispensary at 276 Harold L Dow Highway, told Mainebiz that his medical dispensary sees many customers cross the border from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He said more out-of-staters are finding they can get better quality cannabis products at a lower price in Maine than in their home states. The company sees roughly around 50 patients a day, Dunphey said, depending on the season and the economy, and a decent number of the patients are from out of state.
"More people go to recreational stores," said Dunphey. "It comes down to simple numbers, with anyone over 21 being able to purchase at a recreational store compared to needing a medical card to purchase at a medical establishment. However, there is value in being a patient. You can access similar quality cannabis, more product availability, higher milligram dosing and lower prices."
Organic Goods will be offering both recreational cannabis and medical cannabis when it expands later this year, increasing the number of marijuana store locations in Eliot to five.
Alexis Wells
East Coast Cannabis
East Coast Cannabis is the leading weed dispensary for Lebanon, Maine, and Hampton, N.H. The company opened its Eliot location in June 2021. According to Will McCord, East Coast Cannabis' Eliot store manager, New Hampshire is behind in cannabis availability.
The newest recreational dispensary in Eliot, Cannabis Cured, opened July 2022 at 28 Levesque Drive, the business' 10th location in Maine. According to the store manager, who declined to give her name, the dispensary sees a 60-40 split in customers between Maine residents and others, with people coming from New Hampshire, Texas, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and the province of Quebec in Canada.
In 2017, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a law that decriminalized the possession of three-quarters of an ounce or less of adult-use cannabis from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil violation punishable only by a fine. Any person age 18 or older who possesses less than three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana may be fined $100. Fines rise for third and fourth offenses.
Alexis Wells
Cannabis Cured
New Hampshire efforts
Efforts have been made recently to legalize cannabis in New Hampshire after years of legislative defeat. At a press conference Jan. 4, New Hampshire Senate President Jeb Bradley said that while he was still waiting to see the final language from the House, he would likely remain a "no" vote.
"There are some people that probably want to see it legalized and then some like myself that have never voted to legalize it and don't intend to," Bradley said. "For reasons that I think are becoming increasingly clear in terms of safety, in terms of its impact on health. So, we'll see what happens."
According to New Hampshire Bulletin, the proposed bill allows adults 21 and older to possess and use cannabis and grow up to six plants. It also authorizes businesses to cultivate and sell weed and creates a process for the state to license those businesses and tax them under the meals and rooms tax.
Dunphey said, "I don't see it happening for at least a few years. It's a lot to get a marijuana program off the ground and functioning. They would need to incentivize cannabis entrepreneurs in New Hampshire as well. It seems to be restrictive from what has been proposed in the past. It could affect Maine cannabis sales but it would be several years before it would be significant once/if New Hampshire legalizes cannabis. Quality and pricing would need to be comparable for that to happen."
Dana Brearley, co-founder of East Coast Cannabis, told Mainebiz he had a lot of thoughts about the topic, especially as a New Hampshire native. Last year, Brearley and his business partner opposed a bill that would legalize marijuana and allow consumers to buy cannabis products in state liquor stores.
"New Hampshire's impact on Maine's cannabis sales could be somewhat disruptive, but it depends on what their platform looks like," said Brearley. "New Hampshire proposed a bill last year, in line with common rumor, that was going to force retail sales through their liquor and wine outlets with no avenue for private retailers like us."
"This model will be little threat to the Maine market and leave no incentive for people to spend millions to stand up cultivation facilities in New Hampshire when that market ... will only monopolize, with the liquor stores being the only potential buyer. You'll only find commercialized, low-end cannabis, which, from our customers' feedback, isn't what draws patrons to Maine's cannabis market.
"Maine businesses thrive on our tourism," Brearley continued. "We only have a population of 1.5 million but see 10 million tourists from May to August. Outside of those flying in or driving from the Canadian border, all others pass through New Hampshire to access the state.
"Fortunately, New Hampshire is very behind. Maine is known to have some of the most premium cannabis in the country due to operators like us being forced to grow small-batch only for so long. We've spent over a decade procuring that reputation while New Hampshire has only offered a very weak medical market. If customers and tourists alike keep their focus on quality cannabis, New Hampshire won't be a concern."
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