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Maine Officials Approve 2026 Ballot Initiative To Largely Repeal Marijuana Legalization Law For Signature Collection

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6 months ago

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Maine officials have given permission to prohibition activists to begin gathering signatures for a proposal A ballot initiative that would roll back the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law. The measure, if passed, would also overhaul the regulatory structure of the medical cannabis program by establishing product testing requirements.

The proposal — called the “Cannabis Legalization Act and Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act” — is a revamped version of a marijuana initiative introduced in September, sponsored by a Republican state senator and a former top staffer for then-Gov. Paul LePage (R), staunch prohibitionist.

The latest proposal, a petition approved by the Secretary of State on Monday, would remove and amend multiple sections of the current state statute, which voters approved in 2016 to effectively repeal the legalization of recreational marijuana sales.

Adults over the age of 21 would remain legal to possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis under the proposal, but a section of the law allowing home cultivation would be repealed. The sale and home cultivation of medical marijuana would be legal.

Madison Carey, who was listed as a lead petitioner in the original version of the repeal initiative and remains involved in the current campaign, told Marihuana Momenti on Tuesday that “there needs to be regulation of marijuana,” arguing that her own experience recovering from opioid misuse disorder speaks to the inadequacy of the current law.

“My hope is to raise awareness of the reality of the potential dangers of not having regulation,” he said. “I think people are fed up with the constant use — the constant (retail businesses) coming up where people can legally buy marijuana.”

Of course, repealing the voter-approved law that established the adult-licensed sales system would eliminate the current regulatory infrastructure in place, which reform advocates say helps mitigate public health and safety risks associated with the illegal market.

Rep. David Boyer (R), who led the fight to get a cannabis legalization initiative on Maine’s ballot in 2016 when he was a staff member at the Marihuana Policy Project, said voters should refuse to sign petitions for the new initiative.

“Don’t stop Maine’s progress, don’t stop signing this unfair repeal initiative,” he told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday. “Repealing the legalization of cannabis would shut down an industry larger than lobsters, potatoes and blueberries combined, costing our state jobs, revenue and economic growth.”

According to the new measure, the director of the Office of Cannabis Policy will “advance policies that promote the health and welfare of the people of the state and protect their health and safety, emphasizing the health and welfare of minors as a priority consideration in the performance of all duties.”

They should also “ensure that eligible patients maintain access to high-quality, effective, and affordable medical cannabis under this Act.”

Under the proposal, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services would create a testing program for cannabis products that would require dispensaries and dispensaries to send those products to a licensed facility for safety evaluation before dispensing them to qualified patients.

The testing facility “should ensure that cannabis or cannabis products do not exceed acceptable levels of contamination for any contaminants that are harmful to health and require testing and ensure proper labeling.”

“The department shall adopt rules establishing a testing program under this section, rules identifying the types of pollutants harmful to health, which must be tested for cannabis and cannabis products under this chapter, and rules regarding the maximum level of contamination for each pollutant,” the vote said. the initiative the text says

Additionally, regulators should administer a system to track cannabis plants from seed to the point of retail sale or disposal. That system “should be able to track cannabis plants in groups during the cultivation phase and when passing from the cultivation phase to another registrar”.

Entrepreneurs must submit at least 67,682 valid voter signatures by February 2, 2026 to be eligible for next year’s ballot. If approved by voters, the initiative would take effect on January 1, 2028.

—
It’s Marijuana Moment tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

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Maine lawmakers passed a bill in June legalize possession of an ounce of psilocybin Adults over 21 years of age.

After a different effort in the state last year legalize psilocybin and allow adults to access the psychedelic in state-licensed facilities. But lawmakers watered down that bill—instead, they changed it to create a committee to study further reforms—and in the end it was not approved.

Meanwhile, Maine legislators in February A top marijuana official voted to investigate possible conflicts of interest.

And last year, the law that allowed people came into force now apply for legal marijuana crime records to be sealed.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

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More flexibility to manage light, condensation and UV with extended Solarweave range

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14 hours ago

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June 18, 2026

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For over 50 years, Solarweave has been a woven covering solution for greenhouse and polytunnel applications. First introduced in the 1970s, it was developed as a sustainable alternative to plastic films and is recognized for its long life, strength and consistent performance.

Designed and manufactured in Australia, Solarweave is designed to withstand demanding growing environments, including high temperatures and high winds. Today, it is used worldwide in many protected cropping systems.

Building on this heritage, GALE Pacific has expanded the Solarweave range with the new D40 and D60 variants, giving growers greater flexibility to manage light, condensation and UV exposure while maintaining the durability that Solarweave is known for.

© GALE Pacific

Light performance optimized for modern grow systems
The extended Solarweave range allows growers to select the right balance of light properties and anti-drip performance for different crops, climates and structures.

Solarweave D40 and D60 gradually increase fog, light diffusion and UV protection. This allows more light to penetrate through the crop canopy and helps reduce plant stress and disease risk in greenhouse environments.

Long life for stronger life value
Unlike plastic films that often need to be replaced every few seasons, Solarweave is used for 15 years or more in greenhouse and polytunnel applications.

This extended service life reduces replacement frequency, labor requirements and downtime during the life of the structure. When evaluated over time, many growers believe Solarweave provides a greater return on investment by avoiding the recurring costs and downtime associated with film replacement and disposal.

Built for real-world production
Solarweave is repairable, allowing localized damage to be repaired on site rather than replacing the entire coating. This is a practical advantage for continuous commercial growing operations.

With decades of proven performance, Australian manufacturing expertise and a wide range of options, Solarweave continues to evolve while remaining a reliable solution for long-lasting greenhouse covers.

For more information:
GALE Pacific
Email: (email protected)
galepacific.com/

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Michigan Lawmakers Take Up Bill To Cap Marijuana Business Licenses As Industry Reels From Tax Increase

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14 hours ago

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June 18, 2026

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“We’re doing everything we can to create the right regulatory framework so that the market can be properly served.”

By: Ben Solis, Michigan Advance

The Michigan Senate is retooling marijuana industry license cap legislation to include new barriers to obtaining a license for growers, processors or dispensary operators with significant industry-related tax debt. help boost the industry as it faces a new 24 percent wholesale tax.

The Michigan Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday heard second testimony on recent changes to Senate Bill 597, a bill that proposes new limits on the state’s marijuana industry licenses. The hearing comes almost a year after the bill was introduced and was the subject of the first hearing in October 2025.

Sponsored by Sen. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), SB 597 would limit the licensing of marijuana dealers and wholesalers per 10,000 residents in a municipality starting Jan. 1, 2026. The move would be similar to how the state regulates liquor sales, Singh said last year.

SB 597 it is also part of a larger package. Senate bills 599–602 It aims to create a regulatory framework for consumer hemp products in Michigan. That portion was primarily sponsored by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and was introduced as a way to regulate intoxicating hemp products, including Delta-8 and other synthetic cannabinoids, sold at Michigan gas stations, convenience stores and online marketplaces.

Those pieces passed the Democratic-controlled Senate late last year and are now in the GOP-led House. The license cap piece is still being worked on in the Senate.

Singh’s testimony Wednesday served to refresh the committee’s memory on the legislation and examine the details of the newly adopted bill language.

One of the biggest changes is that licensees must pay all state taxes when seeking another license. It would require the potential licensee to refund the basic tax, fees and tax penalties owed. Singh said the change would align with the way the marijuana industry controls and regulates liquor licenses in Michigan.

The senator said a problem currently facing the Cannabis Regulatory Agency is that it does not have the ability to deny an applicant a new license if that applicant had a previous license, but closed it while owing various state industry taxes, including a required excise tax.

Under the current regulatory framework, a licensee could close their existing license and not have that tax debt continue while they seek a new license because the CRA lacks a mechanism to stop that process because of the tax owed.

Singh said that was more important than ever given how the Legislature added a new 24 percent wholesale tax in the 2025-26 budget deal. The Legislature appropriated $420 million annually in road funding. The the industry is currently fighting that tax in courtas its stakeholders argue, tax will A wholesale marijuana tax generating less revenue than anticipated.

Recent reports indicate that the industry’s struggles have intensified as tax revenues have fallen short of expectations, according to to The Gander.

“Now that we have a wholesale tax of 24 percent, I could see that becoming more and more of an issue,” Singh said. “If we want to make sure that the income is stable, and again, those incomes may be a little low to begin with, we have to make sure those protections are there.”

The updated language includes a provision to place a moratorium on new grower licenses, but allows current growers to obtain an additional license to build and expand. Singh said this was also done to stabilize the market.

Another change concerns the return of products.

“We heard from the Hazkai community that currently, within the law, there is no policy on how to return the product,” Singh said. “What we’ve heard from wholesalers is that some people are returning products weeks, even months, after they’ve received them. So they’ve asked us to find a way to deal with returned product. What our bill basically does is you have three days to return the product, and it has to be in the original packaging and in the original packaging.”

The committee took no further action on the bill.

After the hearing, the Michigan Advance asked Singh if changes to the state’s new wholesale tax did not generate the revenue the Senate and House had hoped to pass.

Singh said this was not a reaction to the problems with the tax.

“We’ve been working on this, these sets of issues, since April of last year. When you have an initiative approved by the voters, there are often things they’ve never thought about, especially on the regulatory side, on the enforcement side,” Singh said. “We are doing everything we can to create the right regulatory scheme to ensure that the market is properly filled, to ensure that the product is safe for those who will use the product, but at the same time to ensure that everyone pays their taxes.”

Whether the bill will help ensure more licensees pay the appropriate tax, Singh said the Legislature, the state and its marijuana industry peers will have to wait and see.

“I always share my personal concern that this tax was higher than it should have been. I think there could have been a combination, with a tax on special increases on the retail side, and maybe a lower wholesale tax,” Singh said. “But at this point, I think it’s too early to gauge where we’re going to be. I think after a couple of quarters, we’ll know what those revenues are going to look like as we go forward.”

This story was first published by the Michigan Advance.

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Massachusetts CCC pauses license applications

Published

2 days ago

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June 17, 2026

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The Cannabis Control Commission, the government body that oversees the marijuana business in the state of Massachusetts (USA), has decided to temporarily stop accepting new license applications for growing marijuana, both indoors and outdoors. This hiatus officially began on June 16, 2026.

Anyone planning to apply for a new marijuana cultivation license after June 16, 2026 will not be able to do so while this suspension is in effect. The Commission will not accept such requests during this period.

There are two groups that can continue normally. First, anyone who submitted an application before June 16, 2026, will continue to review and process applications as usual. Second, applicants for specific programs designed to help communities historically affected by drug laws, known as the Social Equity Program and the Economic Empowerment Program, are exempt from this suspension if they apply for a smaller-scale “Microenterprise” license.

The suspension will be in effect for 120 days from June 16, 2026, which is currently scheduled to be lifted around mid-October 2026. However, the Commission has the power to terminate earlier or extend further, depending on market conditions.

Source: Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission










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