State’s Office of Marijuana Policy releases applications for adult use cultivation, manufacturing, and retail facilities.
AUGUSTA – Today, the Office of Marijuana Policy, a part of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, announced the availability of all adult use marijuana facility applications. Beginning immediately, prospective licensees may commence the application process for adult use marijuana cultivation facilities, products manufacturing facilities, and marijuana stores.
This important step completes the staggered rollout of adult use applications which began on Monday, November 4, 2019. Applications for marijuana testing facilities were previously made available on Monday, November 18, 2019.
“When the Office of Marijuana Policy was established by the Mills Administration in February, we committed to making adult use applications available by the end of the year,” said OCP Director Erik Gundersen. “In the months since, we have worked diligently to accomplish this goal, including spending the last month accepting and processing the Individual Identification Card (IIC) applications of prospective licensees and individuals hoping to work in the new industry. With today’s action, we have made good on our commitment to an industry and public that have been waiting for nearly three years for this moment.”
At its highest level, the process of becoming licensed in the State of Maine’s adult use marijuana program takes three steps: conditional licensure, local authorization, and active licensure, respectively. The conditional licensure process consists of several requirements that must be satisfied prior to acceptance of a completed application, including certain individuals obtaining an IIC.
OCP began accepting IIC applications in early November, a process which includes fingerprinting and state and federal criminal history records checks. Since that time, 400 applications have been received. By the close of business today, 146 cards will be issued to prospective licensees and employees in Maine’s adult use program.
All individuals working in or for a licensed marijuana establishment who possess, cultivate, manufacture, package, test, dispense, transfer, serve, handle, or transport marijuana or marijuana products are required to have an OCP-issued IIC.
“Our staggered rollout of applications has allowed OCP to spend the last four weeks addressing the concerns of industry stakeholders and answering their questions relating to the application process,” added Gundersen. “Similar to our rulemaking work, this process has been exceedingly helpful in allowing our office to establish meaningful relationships with the very individuals we will be licensing and regulating.”
Once all application forms, required attachments, and criminal history record checks are received and deemed complete, OCP has 90 days to either deny the conditional license or issue a non-renewable conditional license valid for one year. If needed, a provision included in the Marijuana Legalization Act by the Maine Legislature allows OCP to utilize up to six months when it first begins accepting and processing adult use applications.
For a conditional license holder to be eligible for an active license they must seek local authorization. Municipalities have 90 days—and in some instances an additional 90 days—to respond to a licensee’s request for local authorization. Once local authorization is received, OCP will request supplemental information and updated documentation from the applicant before they would be eligible to obtain an active license.
A licensee that has been issued a conditional license by the department may not engage in the cultivation, manufacture, testing or sale of adult use marijuana or adult use marijuana products until the department has issued an active license.
The Mills Administration created OCP within DAFS in February 2019. The Office is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of legalized marijuana, including Maine's existing Medical Use of Marijuana Program.