The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy is offering municipalities that allow adult cannabis sales up to $20,000 to help regulate costs. Cities and towns can use the funds to cover the costs of attorneys, ordinance drafting, staff time, and other expenses.
Officials hope that this will incentivize those who don’t allow industry operations within its borders to reconsider.
In a press release, Erik Gundersen, director of the state cannabis office, said that “the reality is that regardless of whether a city has opted in or not, cannabis is bought, sold and consumed there.”
Currently, only 7% of Maine cities and towns have chosen to allow cannabis sales for adult use.
Gunderson stated, “The most important thing we can do is try to make sure that Maineans who choose to use cannabis can do so in a well-regulated environment that protects public health and safety to the best of our ability.”
July totaled $16.3 million with 247,401 transactions. So far this year, sales have reached $81 million with more than 1.2 million transactions.
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