Roger Katz is an attorney and former four-term state senator who served as the Senate chair of the Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation.
Then, in 2016, we joined regulatory trailblazers like Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon in legalizing adult-use marijuana.
Maine’s adult-use program, which began retail sales six months ago, is the gold standard to which any other state can look to develop and implement a system to provide interested consumers with access to marijuana.
In our state’s medical marijuana program, we have caregivers who are individuals registered with the state to grow, manufacture and sell marijuana to certified patients.
The Legislature also supported other changes, which have further commercialized the medical program, understanding that retail sales of adult-use marijuana was on the horizon.
In exchange for these reforms came the need for some degree of regulatory oversight of the state’s medical program.
Inventory tracking, or “seed-to-sale tracking” as it is commonly known, is important for several reasons, not the least of which is helping Maine avoid undue federal scrutiny as we license and regulate two industries centered around what remains a federally controlled substance.
Regrettably, our state right now lacks any data about the inventory on the shelves of Maine’s medical establishments, including key metrics such as volume, products and pricing trends already available in the adult-use program.
However, lawmakers should understand that the forthcoming oversight measures are part of a much-needed upgrade for medical cannabis in Maine.
Implementation of these long-overdue measures will allow both of our state’s marijuana programs to serve as models for states that choose legalization in the years to come.