Medical marijuana growers are once again asking Freeport officials to allow recreational cultivation.
As of now, Freeport has two medical marijuana growing facilities.
Tuesday, the owners of these facilities addressed the town council, requesting that they begin the process of allowing growth for recreational use.
“I hope to keep my business here, however, I will likely need to relocate to another town … if Freeport does not develop an ordinance to allow licensed adult-use cultivation,” said David Stephenson, who has owned a medical marijuana cultivation facility in Freeport since 2017.
While marijuana is legal in Maine, municipalities must opt in and individually set rules regulating recreational and medical cannabis, which Freeport has not done.
“That whole program is changing quite drastically very soon,” said Peter Ingram, who has also cultivated medical cannabis in Freeport since 2017. “We expect that in the spring, the current rules that are in Augusta right now being discussed … would drastically limit the medical program and it, in turn, boost the adult-use program.”
The council had discussed recreational cultivation in January 2020, but decided to wait unit the state adopted rules and to see how municipalities handle the businesses.
Now, Ingram said that now over 60 municipalities have opted in and dozens of cultivations are now growing recreational marijuana.
According to Town Manager Peter Joseph, because of the absence of cannabis licensing procedures, Freeport does not make anything beyond property tax on the two facilities.
In the meeting, both Ingram and Stephenson said they are not looking to sell out of Freeport or open a retail store in the town. Neither Stephenson nor Ingram could be reached Wednesday for additional comment.
According to Town Council Chairman John Egan, the issue will now be considered by the council, although an exact timeframe has not been determined.
“I recognize the urgency with the current changing state rules, and in terms of what’s happening with the industry,” Egan said in the meeting.
In December, the Portland Press Herald reported that Marijuana is Maine’s most valuable crop, stating that 2020 sales totaled $266.2 million, up from $109.2 million in 2019.
For comparison, in 2019 total sales for potatoes — a crop often associated with Maine — came in at $184.1 million.
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