Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy Lates Newsletter – Track & Trace / Medical Use / Adult Use Business Application Stats

As Adult Use Launch Approaches, Track and Trace Credentialing Poised to Begin
On Wednesday, Office of Marijuana Policy Director Erik Gundersen appeared before the State of Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee to provide an update on the work of the office. Director Gundersen told forecasters to expect the first tax revenues from adult use establishments in 2020.

At present, we continue to engage in discussions related to testing capacity, safety precautions necessitated by the current health pandemic, the anticipated supply chain, and necessary lead times for businesses to commence operations. We expect that the few outstanding details related to these discussions will lead to a formal announcement later this month of our plans for the active licensure of adult use establishments and introduction retail sales to consumers.

An image of Metrc's logo.
This means it is more important than ever for prospective adult use establishments to complete Metrc’s training and to prepare for track and trace credentialing. Training is available through the Metrc website at: https://www.metrc.com/maine. The link to register appears below OMP’s logo as “Schedule Training Now”. In order to register for training, stakeholders must hold a valid OMP-issued Individual Identification Card and be associated with an establishment that has obtained a conditional license.

The successful completion of Metrc’s new business training course and comprehension test by a licensee’s track and trace administrator—and the corresponding issuance of login credentials—are part of the supplemental information phase required to obtain an active license.

Please note: Once Metrc production credentials are issued, adult use establishments will begin paying their $40 a month license fee to Metrc. This monthly fee includes unlimited training and support from Metrc.

A divider image featuring the State of Maine seal.
Update on Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program
Processing of MMMP Registry Identification Card Applications
In response to the ongoing public health pandemic, OMP continues to prioritize the processing of caregiver assistant and dispensary employee applications within the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program (MMMP). Due to a significant increase in volume, in most cases, the processing time of these applications has increased to two weeks.

As a reminder, registered caregivers seeking to continue operating within the MMMP must submit their renewal applications at least 30 days prior to the expiration of their existing credential.

Forthcoming Track and Trace Deployment
As OMP gets closer to launching the adult use program and its corresponding track and trace component, MMMP registrants should be aware that focus will begin to shift to introducing Metrc to the medical program. Additional information on the deployment of Metrc to Maine’s existing medical marijuana program and the obligations of registered caregivers, dispensaries, and manufacturing facilities will be available soon, but registrants should be prepared for the possibility of a late 2020 introduction of medical track and trace.

A divider image featuring the State of Maine seal.
By the Numbers: Adult Use Marijuana Establishment Applications
A chart showing the distribution and license status by adult use establishment type.
As of Monday, August 3, 2020, OMP has 178 establishments in conditional status—29 of which have obtained local authorization—and 173 adult use establishment applications pending. Critically, of the three marijuana testing facilities that have applied to serve Maine’s adult use industry, all have obtained their conditional licenses, with one, Nelson Analytical Labs in Kennebunk, obtaining local authorization.

In addition, OMP has issued 884 active individual identification cards to individuals interested in participating in Maine’s adult use program. Further, we have 405applications pending and have denied a total of three applications.

A divider image featuring the State of Maine seal.

OMP Conducts Public Hearing on Marijuana Sample Collection Rules

A screen capture showing a portion of the virtual public hearing.
On Wednesday, OMP conducted its first-ever rulemaking public hearing via Zoom. The topic of the public hearing was OMP’s proposal to permanently adopt new regulations in 18-691 C.M.R. ch. 1, the Adult Use Marijuana Program Rule, and 18-691 C.M.R. ch. 5, the Rules for the Certification of Marijuana Testing Facilities, related to the collections of samples of marijuana and marijuana products for testing in the adult use program.

The rulemaking activity was necessitated following changes to state law resulting from Public Laws 2019, Chapter 676. Governor Janet T. Mills signed LD 1545, An Act Regarding the Collection of Samples for Testing of Adult Use Marijuana and Adult Use Marijuana Products, into law on March 23, 2020.

The public comment period for this rulemaking continues until 5:00PM EDT on Monday, August 10, 2020.

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