Maine is preparing to roll out adult use marijuana sales once the pandemic calms. Portland has moved one step closer to being ready as the City Council has voted to allow the city to issue temporary marijuana testing lab licenses. Testing labs will ensure that consumers are purchasing clean, safe marijuana products.
The City Council voted unanimously to move forward with licensing testing labs, Central Maine reported. A lab that currently tests medical marijuana products will be permitted to apply for a temporary license for recreational marijuana products. A site plan, security plan, waste disposal plan and odor mitigation plans must all accompany the licensing application.
Erik Gunderson of the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy said, “Testing is crucial to our regulatory system. This is an opportunity for us to set the table (so we can) quickly and safely implement the market as soon as it is feasible.”
Temporary licensees must receive full licensing once the full set of regulations are in place.
Portland City Manager Jon Jennings said, “What we have been trying to do is to hold off a bit just to get the COVID-19 issues behind us. At least to get us to a point where all the stay-at-home factors are satisfactory.”
Industry professionals are also hoping that temporary licensing measures will be put in place for retail and cultivation locations as well.