Retail marijuana sales begin in Maine

Nearly four years after Maine voted to legalize cannabis for all adults, opening day has arrived. Retail marijuana sales begin on the morning of Oct. 9.

A select few stores have been licensed to sell adult-use products on Oct. 9. Dozens of others are waiting for state officials to sign off on their licenses, and those stores should come online in the coming days and weeks.

It’s unclear whether the currently licensed stores will all be open. Some may have to wait until more products arrive. There’s only one cannabis testing lab currently operating in Maine, and all products have to go through it to be cleared for sale.

The stores listed below have been licensed to open on Oct. 9. Calls to retailers on Oct. 8 indicate that two stores in South Portland—Theory Wellness and SeaWeed—will be open on Friday morning. Green Cures, in Auburn, will also be open for its first sales on Friday morning.

Check out Leafly Finder to discover all the dispensaries near you.

Town	Store	Address
Auburn	Green Cures	550 Center St
Bangor	Firestorm Cultivation	1172 Hammond St
Damariscotta	Coastal Cannabis Co.	53A Chapman St
Northport	Sweet Relief	1 Priest Road
South Portland	SeaWeed	185 Running Hill Rd
South Portland	Theory Wellness	198 Maine Mall Rd.
Stratton	Northland Botanicals	152 Main St
Waterville	Theory Wellness	20 Industrial St

In South Portland, “a huge step” for Theory Wellness

Theory Wellness, at 198 Maine Mall Road in South Portland, is scheduled to be the first of a handful of stores to unlock their doors across the state, with the inaugural sale expected Friday morning at 10 a.m.

Expect a simple product menu, as supplies are limited in these early days. Don’t forget to bring cash and your mask.

Like everyone else in Maine, the store is working with a tight supply chain. Expect a straightforward menu of concentrates, flower, and other products, says Thomas Winstanley, the director of marketing.

The store’s menu hadn’t gone live 12 hours before opening—partly as a result of the struggle to get enough product.

Customers should expect socially distanced lines and purchase limits. That’s because Maine regulators issued retail and cultivation permits at the same time, which didn’t give growers enough time to meet the expected demand. Theory Wellness bought supplies from some of the medical marijuana businesses in Maine.

“Because it’s a new market, it’s hard to get product right now,” Winstanley says. “For that reason we truly are taking it day by day.”

Still, for the New England-based company—Theory Wellness got its start in nearby Massachusetts—it’s an exciting time. “This is a huge step for us,” Winstanley says, “and we’re really feeling it.”

Meet your Maine retailers

Here are a few glimpses into the operations behind the scenes in the stores licensed to open on Friday.

Auburn: Green Cures all depends on product availability

Late Thursday we got word that Green Cures would indeed be open for adult-use sales “bright and early” on Friday morning in Auburn.

REC MARIJUANA SALES | On Oct. 9, adults in ME will be able to buy recreational marijuana at licensed stores.

I talked with the owner of Green Cures in Auburn and she says there’s a shortage of product so she won’t have anything to sell come Friday.

“I’m at a loss.” @WGME pic.twitter.com/C9LduNNQdR

— Blair Best (@BlairWGME) October 3, 2020

South Portland: Theory Wellness working to normalize it

“Part of our vision is to normalize cannabis as a common pursuit.”
We can’t wait to introduce ourselves to South Portland next week! https://t.co/9zhcpOeG3z

— theorywellness (@theorywellness) October 2, 2020

South Portland: SeaWeed hosting a grand opening weekend

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Our Grand Opening is THIS FRIDAY! 21+ only with a valid, government issued ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, etc), medical cards will not be accepted. ?‍♀️

A post shared by SeaWeed Co. (@seaweedco.me) on Oct 6, 2020 at 12:08pm PDT