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LD 1840

An Act To Amend The Maine Medical Use Of Cannabis Act

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Rick Bennett and 9 co-sponsors

Expands venues for registered medical cannabis caregivers to sell/transfer at trade shows and industry events; adds gross sales and sales tax revenue to the annual report.

Became Law without Governor's Signature
#cannabis #medicalcannabis #regulation
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Bill Summary · LD 1840

Summary — LD 1840: An Act To Amend the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act

Status: Held by the Governor (introduced 04/30/2025; passed Legislature 06/16/2025)

Main purpose

LD 1840 amends the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act to (1) expand where caregivers may sell or transfer medical cannabis and (2) change the information to be included in annual reporting about the medical cannabis program. An earlier version also would have restricted the Office of Cannabis Policy’s (OCP) ability to require certain attestations on registration and renewal forms; that provision was removed by a later amendment adopted by the Legislature.

Key provisions (final amended version)

  • Expands authorized venues where registered caregivers may sell or transfer medical cannabis to include trade shows and other industry‑related events.
  • Requires the annual report on the medical cannabis program to include data on gross sales and sales tax revenue from medical cannabis.
  • The Legislature initially considered (and a committee amendment included) a prohibition on OCP requiring registrants to make attestations on registration/renewal forms regarding conduct authorized under the Medical Use of Cannabis Act, except where explicitly authorized by law. That attestation prohibition was removed by a subsequent Senate amendment that was adopted; the final enacted text retains only the venue expansion and reporting requirement.

Who is affected

  • Caregivers and medical cannabis registrants: gain an expanded set of venues (e.g., trade shows) where transfers/sales may occur, subject to any regulatory requirements that apply at those events.
  • Office of Cannabis Policy (Department of Administrative and Financial Services): will need to incorporate the new reporting elements into its annual report and monitor compliance at expanded event venues.
  • Event organizers: may host caregivers selling/transferring medical cannabis and may need to accommodate compliance activities.
  • State budget/audit and the public: will receive new data on gross sales and sales tax revenue for the medical cannabis sector.

Fiscal impact

  • An earlier fiscal estimate (Committee Amendment version) projected ongoing Other Special Revenue Fund costs of $1,157,721 in FY2025‑26 (rising to $1,337,536 by FY2028‑29) primarily to hire 10 licensing staff (1 Chief Licensing Investigator, 1 Office Specialist I, 8 Licensing Analysts) and potentially additional enforcement staff if after‑hours event coverage was required.
  • A later Senate amendment removed the provision that created the additional licensing workload; the fiscal note for that amendment shows those allocations removed (a reduction of $1,157,721 in FY2025‑26 and similar amounts in later years). The final fiscal exposure is therefore limited to any administrative or compliance costs OCP incurs to implement the venue expansion and new reporting requirements; the Legislature did not appropriate the previously projected staffing funds in the adopted amendment.

Legislative timeline / procedural notes

  • Referred to Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee (04/30/2025). Work session and OTP‑AM recommendation (05/22/2025).
  • Committee Amendment A (S‑374) and Senate Amendment A (S‑398 to S‑374) were adopted in the Senate and House; bill passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor (06/16/2025).
  • As of 07/08/2025 the bill is listed as "Held by the Governor" (no signature or veto recorded in the provided documents).

Practical considerations

  • The expansion to trade shows/industry events raises compliance and enforcement questions (e.g., hours of operation, proof of registration, event oversight). OCP indicated earlier that significant after‑hours event activity could necessitate additional compliance staff, but that staffing need was not included in the final adopted allocations.
  • The new reporting requirement will provide legislators and the public with clearer fiscal data (gross sales and sales tax revenue) for the medical cannabis market.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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