Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Maine is poised to be a leader in the legal marijuana business because of its success with medical cannabis, the head of the state's largest medical marijuana dispensary group said Wednesday.
Patricia Rosi, CEO of the Wellness Connection of Maine, said the state could benefit financially by allowing recreational marijuana sales and joining the country's fastest growing industry. She spoke about medical cannabis and marijuana legalization during the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce's monthly Eggs & Issues event.
Two groups — Legalize Maine and the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol — currently are collecting signatures to get separate legalization referendums on the November 2016 ballot. Both groups have developed plans that would allow adults 21 and older to buy and use recreational marijuana.
Maine is one of 34 states that allows some form of medical cannabis. Maine legalized medical uses in 1999; the state's first dispensaries opened in 2011. Last year, Maine's program was voted the best medical marijuana program in the country by Americans for Safe Access, a national group that advocates for legal access to medical cannabis.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. have approved measures to legalize recreational pot.
A poll in the spring of 2015 by Critical Insights, a Portland market research firm, found that 65 percent of Mainers support legalizing marijuana. If marijuana is legalized, 79 percent of people believe it should only be sold in licensed establishments, according to the poll.
Rosi said cannabis is the fastest growing United States industry, with an estimated economic impact of up to $11.1 billion. The industry is expected to be bigger than organic food by 2016 with an estimated $36 billion economic impact. For every $1 of legally sold cannabis, $2.60 of economic value enters the American economy, she said.
If Maine voters decide to legalize marijuana, the state could take in $26.7 million in revenue from taxes and fees, Rosi said.
"If we do this right, this will mean sustained growth for the economy of Maine," Rosi said. "We have to get ahead of it and be proactive. Everyone is trying to wrap their arms around it."
Quincy Hentzel, volunteer president of the chamber of commerce, said the chamber wanted to have a discussion about the marijuana industry, which she characterized as a "hot-button issue" for many people. The issue is especially relevant given the prospect of a 2016 legalization vote, she said.
"Regardless of where people land on the issue of medical cannabis, it's helpful for our membership to have a discussion about it," she said. "For many people, this is probably the first conversation like this they've had."
Maine's medical cannabis program generated an estimated $60 million to $75 million in revenue reported to the Maine Revenue Service in 2014. Between $4 million and $5 million was paid in taxes and fees to the state in 2014, including sales and revenue taxes and licensing fees. The Maine Revenue Service reported that the eight licensed dispensaries sold $16 million and generated $900,000 in sales tax in 2014, a 40 percent increase from 2013 and more than three times the amount in 2012.
There are an estimated 50,000 certified medical marijuana patients in Maine, including more than 10,000 patients at the Wellness Connection of Maine's four dispensaries, Rosi said.
She said the challenge of marijuana legalization is how it is implemented. Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, businesses in the industry face challenges with banking, insurance and securing retail and growing space. She said many businesses — including medical cannabis dispensaries — are forced to remain cash-only businesses because credit card companies don't want to work with them.
"That's a big challenge in our industry," she said.
Rosi said an expanded marijuana market won't necessarily push dispensaries out of business because of their focus on providing medical-grade marijuana to its clients.
"I do believe we can benefit greatly from legalization and I don't think it will be the end of our business," she said. "There is value in providing the best medicine. I do think there is still a position for us."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Cannabis CEO Mays Maine Could Be Leader In Legal Marijuana Industry
Author: Gillian Graham
Contact: Email Author
Photo Credit: Jimmywayne
Website: Portland Press Herald
Patricia Rosi, CEO of the Wellness Connection of Maine, said the state could benefit financially by allowing recreational marijuana sales and joining the country's fastest growing industry. She spoke about medical cannabis and marijuana legalization during the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce's monthly Eggs & Issues event.
Two groups — Legalize Maine and the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol — currently are collecting signatures to get separate legalization referendums on the November 2016 ballot. Both groups have developed plans that would allow adults 21 and older to buy and use recreational marijuana.
Maine is one of 34 states that allows some form of medical cannabis. Maine legalized medical uses in 1999; the state's first dispensaries opened in 2011. Last year, Maine's program was voted the best medical marijuana program in the country by Americans for Safe Access, a national group that advocates for legal access to medical cannabis.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. have approved measures to legalize recreational pot.
A poll in the spring of 2015 by Critical Insights, a Portland market research firm, found that 65 percent of Mainers support legalizing marijuana. If marijuana is legalized, 79 percent of people believe it should only be sold in licensed establishments, according to the poll.
Rosi said cannabis is the fastest growing United States industry, with an estimated economic impact of up to $11.1 billion. The industry is expected to be bigger than organic food by 2016 with an estimated $36 billion economic impact. For every $1 of legally sold cannabis, $2.60 of economic value enters the American economy, she said.
If Maine voters decide to legalize marijuana, the state could take in $26.7 million in revenue from taxes and fees, Rosi said.
"If we do this right, this will mean sustained growth for the economy of Maine," Rosi said. "We have to get ahead of it and be proactive. Everyone is trying to wrap their arms around it."
Quincy Hentzel, volunteer president of the chamber of commerce, said the chamber wanted to have a discussion about the marijuana industry, which she characterized as a "hot-button issue" for many people. The issue is especially relevant given the prospect of a 2016 legalization vote, she said.
"Regardless of where people land on the issue of medical cannabis, it's helpful for our membership to have a discussion about it," she said. "For many people, this is probably the first conversation like this they've had."
Maine's medical cannabis program generated an estimated $60 million to $75 million in revenue reported to the Maine Revenue Service in 2014. Between $4 million and $5 million was paid in taxes and fees to the state in 2014, including sales and revenue taxes and licensing fees. The Maine Revenue Service reported that the eight licensed dispensaries sold $16 million and generated $900,000 in sales tax in 2014, a 40 percent increase from 2013 and more than three times the amount in 2012.
There are an estimated 50,000 certified medical marijuana patients in Maine, including more than 10,000 patients at the Wellness Connection of Maine's four dispensaries, Rosi said.
She said the challenge of marijuana legalization is how it is implemented. Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, businesses in the industry face challenges with banking, insurance and securing retail and growing space. She said many businesses — including medical cannabis dispensaries — are forced to remain cash-only businesses because credit card companies don't want to work with them.
"That's a big challenge in our industry," she said.
Rosi said an expanded marijuana market won't necessarily push dispensaries out of business because of their focus on providing medical-grade marijuana to its clients.
"I do believe we can benefit greatly from legalization and I don't think it will be the end of our business," she said. "There is value in providing the best medicine. I do think there is still a position for us."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Cannabis CEO Mays Maine Could Be Leader In Legal Marijuana Industry
Author: Gillian Graham
Contact: Email Author
Photo Credit: Jimmywayne
Website: Portland Press Herald
