Courtesy / Office of Marijuana Policy
Maine’s first conditional licenses for adult use marijuana establishments were announced a month ago. Seen here is a screen shot of some of those conditionally approved.
April 13, 2020
Pandemic delays launch of Maine's recreational marijuana market
FILE PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY
The state Office of Marijuana Policy is postponing the spring debut of adult use marijuana retail sales in Maine, due to the pandemic.
By Staff
The state Office of Marijuana Policy said Friday it is postponing the spring debut of retail marijuana sales for recreational use in Maine.
The decision was made due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.
“Just one month ago, as we announced the issuance of Maine’s first conditional licenses for adult use marijuana establishments, few would have envisioned the effects the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would have on the daily lives of Mainers,” OMP Director Erik Gundersen wrote in an April 10 letter. “However, it now appears as though a spring launch of Maine’s adult use industry is simply unrealistic.”
The letter noted the uncertain timeline but said OMP is committed to working with the industry to clearly communicate plans for a future rollout. A new adult-use launch window will not be announced until the timing is appropriate under public health guidelines.
Maine’s first conditional licenses for adult-use marijuana establishments were announced a month ago.
“We are simply unable to provide any concrete timelines in these uncertain times,” Gundersen wrote. “We cannot tell you with any level of certainty when towns will be able to take action to ensure there will be adequate testing to meet the needs of program, and we certainly cannot set a definitive retail sales launch date amidst a public health pandemic.”
Gundersen said the delay is the first for the marijuana market since Gov. Janet Mills created the Office of Marijuana Policy within the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services last year.
He noted the office has delivered on past promises to complete rulemaking and begin accepting applications in 2019 for spring implementation of adult-use retail sales.
In his letter, Gundersen also reinforced OMP’s commitment to protecting public health and safety as Maine towns and cities confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Several communities preparing for local authorization and to opt-in for adult use, most notably those that serve as hosts to our prospective marijuana testing facilities, have now had to postpone those actions because of COVID-19, and rightfully so,” he wrote. “The other issue in this unfortunate situation is the sheer unknowns.”
Late last month, in response to COVID-19, OMP implemented a remote work plan for most of its staff and closed its Augusta office to the public.
Despite those adjustments, the office is continuing to operate at full capacity, accepting adult and medical use applications, issuing medical marijuana registrations and adult use conditional licenses, and developing new rules and regulations required by recent changes in state law.
In the coming weeks and months, this work will proceed unchanged, OMP said.
The Office of Marijuana Policy began accepting license applications for recreational pot cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities and marijuana stores in December.
The OMP began offering applications for marijuana testing facilities in November, and in October unveiled a symbol that will be used to identify adult-use marijuana and marijuana products.
A 2016 Maine law legalized the recreational use of small amounts of marijuana by adults who are 21 or older.
In a related development, on April 8 the contractor overseeing Maine Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting & Compliance, Metrc LLC, announced the implementation of its cannabis track-and-trace technology, working with the Office of Marijuana Policy.
Metrc received the state’s deployment certification on March 30, after adjusting its previously scheduled roadshow that month to online webinars in support of public health and safety during the spread of COVID-19, according to a news release.
“We adapted to support social distancing while still supporting Maine’s cannabis industry with a virtual roadshow,” Jeff Wells, CEO of Metrc, said in the release. “We’ve already formed a strong foundation with OMP and look forward to continuing to support the state’s growing legal cannabis marketplace.”
Maine mutually ended its contract with track-and-trace provider BioTrackTHC after eight months in December 2019 and entered into a new contract with Metrc in February 2020 to support its upcoming adult-use cannabis sales in 2020.
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Anonymous
April 13, 2020
Too bad the state does not treat alcohol the same way it does pot. There are far more health and safety issues from alcohol and yet we look the other way, permitting 7500 OUI arrests each year. What is the real economic effect of alcohol?
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