Weed goes on sale years after approval in Maine
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Mainers got their first opportunity to legally buy marijuana for recreational use, but a supply shortage was a potential buzzkill.
Retailers blame the pandemic and a limited number of licensed manufacturers for reducing the variety of products available on Friday. Licenses were issued only a month ago, causing retailers to scramble to stock their shelves. That didn’t deter shoppers. “This is a big day,” Ben Bolstridge, of Lewiston, said after making his purchases. “It’s the first time in Maine history that you can actually buy recreational marijuana. That’s awesome. I wanted to be here today.” Maine’s road to becoming the 10th state allowing the retail sale of marijuana for recreational use was exceptionally arduous.
A referendum was approved nearly four years ago, in November 2016, but the effort to set up a method for legally purchasing cannabis dragged on through two legislative rewrites, two vetoes by the former governor and a change in administrations, said Erik Gundersen, director of the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy.
Once things got rolling, the Coronavirus pandemic created further delays as the state determined how to safely open stores, he said.
Under state law, marijuana growers and product suppliers have to be licensed, and the products have to be certified by a state-licensed lab. For now, there are only a handful of manufacturers, and one laboratory.
Another store was licensed this week, bringing the total to eight. But only six of them were open Friday, a state official said.
State law allows each customer to buy up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, enough to roll more than 100 joints. Included within that limit, customers may also purchase 5 grams of concentrate.
Many retailers, however, were limiting customers to smaller purchases to stretch their supply.