By Ramone Tarnaski

Legal recreational marijuana sales began in Maine on Tuesday after voters approved a legalization initiative in 2016. Maine voters have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults, but consumers and business owners are equally unsure about what the day will bring, with only a handful of licensed businesses in the state willing to do business. In the fall of 2016, voters in Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C. approved legalizing recreational marijuana for adults and opening their licensed pharmacies and dispensaries.

But the implementation of the measure was thwarted by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, leading to years of delays. Marijuana legalization became law in Maine on Tuesday, the state Department of Health said. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat, told local media her office is doing its best to create cannabis regulations for the state.

Once the regulatory framework is in place, recreational sales in Maine are expected to begin in March 2020. But further delays, including the passage of the medical marijuana regulation and control law in Maine last year, have pushed back the start date again. We started with a blank sheet of paper and started working on regulations that were put together in a short time and were to serve as a structure for this new industry. When we came in, we started working on the rules that put them together and served as the structure of this [new] industry, "she said.

We have a lot of people coming and shopping and we want to make sure that there are no pesticides, that there are no contaminants, that it is free of the contaminants that will be in it. First, pharmacy customers will notice a shift from an unregulated market, she said. You might expect prices to be a little higher, but that's because of the excise taxes that the state collects, "Heinrici said, according to the Maine Department of Health.

Massachusetts Theory of Wellness will also open a recreational marijuana dispensary in South Portland on Friday. Eight retailers are being supported by growing facilities in Portland, Bangor, and Portland as they begin serving customers. Limited production and marketing capacity has led to a credulity that is likely to plague the market as more licensing companies take up their work.

At the same time, I believe that if we have learned anything about the cannabis industry, it is that there is no guarantee that everything will go according to plan. We are working very hard to make this happen and we will tackle it day by day, "he said. As a vertically integrated operator, the company has increased its cultivation capacity to meet the expected demand.

He said he was not worried about an initial shortage of products, but said it would take time for the program to reach its full potential, as well as the harvest season next summer. He said he was not worried about the potential for a shortage of cannabis products in the first months of the year.

Under Maine law, adults 21 and older may not purchase more than 5 grams of cannabis concentrate, including edibles, oils, concentrates, and other cannabis products, as well as cannabis oil. However, some stores could introduce policies with lower purchase limits to ward off product shortages. A list of licensed dispensaries is available on the website of the Maine State Marijuana Law.