State policymakers believe that Maine’s illicit cannabis market is smaller than in other states with adult-use cannabis laws.
New data show that 15 percent of cannabis purchased in Maine came from adult-use stores, according to a report from the state’s Office of Cannabis Policy, which surveyed nearly 2,000 Mainers about their buying and consumption habits within a month-long period.
A total of 64 percent of cannabis came from a regulated or legal source, such as a medical dispensary or caregiver, while 36 percent came from an illegal source.
Data from Massachusetts, Alaska and California show a larger illicit market, despite adult-use cannabis stores in those states being open longer than those in Maine, according to the new report.
The first adult-use store in Maine opened a little more than a year ago. Stores in Massachusetts and Alaska first opened about three years ago, and the first adult-use store opened in California about five years ago.
