Medical marijuana continues to be a growing industry for the state, as the Maine Revenue Service reports that in 2015 the $23.6 million in sales at dispensaries generated $1.29 million in sales tax.
This $23.6 million in sales is up 46% compared to 2014 when dispensaries sold $16.2 million worth of medical marijuana and related products, generating more than $892,000 in tax revenues for the state.
“There are a number of factors at play here. The first would be that Mainers are becoming more used to the idea of therapeutic cannabis,” Becky DeKeuster, director of education for Wellness Connection, which operates four of Maine’s eight dispensaries, told the Portland Press Herald. “We’ve had a very successful dispensary program for five years now and people are becoming used to this option.”
Maine is currently part of the 34-state majority allowing some form of medical cannabis after legalizing medical use in 1999, with the first dispensaries opening in 2011.
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