Portland Says Maine Residents to Get Priority for Marijuana Licenses

The Portland City Council will approve retail marijuana licenses based on a points system. There will only be 20 retail marijuana licenses issued in the city. As applications are considered, points will be awarded in 8 categories. Those with the highest amount of points are likely to be approved for licenses.

Licenses will be reserved for those that are owned by individuals that are socially or economically disadvantaged, Main Public Radio reported. Preference will also be given to residents of Maine.

Those that are already caregivers are said to receive higher scores. Applicants must also be able to prove that they have at least $150,000 in liquid assets.

Some disagree with the cap on the number of licenses to be awarded. A petition could circulate to create an ordinance to remove that cap.