Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that supporters say would help reduce the stigma surrounding Maine's cannabis industry and more closely align its rules with how the alcohol industry is governed.
But state officials have blasted it, saying dozens of pages of proposed regulatory changes arrived too late for close scrutiny and that the measure would upend the program's regulatory framework. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, would make sweeping changes to rules governing Maine's adult-use and medical cannabis markets, which in 2023 brought in about $493 million combined.
Among other changes, the 66-page L.D. 40 would bring the industry more in line with businesses that sell alcohol – requiring ID checks when a sale is made rather than at the door, allowing businesses to employ people as young as 17, and allowing minors to enter the businesses.
The bill would also cut much of the red tape for cannabis operators, eliminating advertising limits, annual employee fingerprint and federal background checks, and strict opaque packaging requirements, and allowing the sale of returned products.
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