Paul T. McCarrier of Monroe is a cannabis advocate who has been involved in cannabis policy for 15 years. 

Maine’s Oct. 27 and Nov. 12 recall of Yani vape cartridges wasn’t a fluke — it was a warning.

The Office of Cannabis Policy yanked thousands of live resin carts from 21 stores after audit testing showed unsafe pesticide levels. Triggered by a single consumer complaint, the fiasco exposed a system strangled by its own rules.

The adult-use (AU) program’s maze of “safeguards” — testing mandates, METRC tracking, endless paperwork — creates the illusion of safety while protecting no one. These measures look virtuous on paper but punish small businesses and mislead consumers. Maine doesn’t need more regulation — it needs smarter regulation.

Mandatory testing, the AU program’s proudest boast, is a costly ritual with little public benefit. Every batch must pass pesticide, heavy metal and microbe screening — yet recalls keep coming. Yani’s isn’t the first. Labs produce inconsistent results, thresholds shift and bureaucratic errors abound. The result: higher prices, false confidence and no real safety gains. It’s regulation as theater — expensive, self-congratulatory and useless.

Then there’s METRC, the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system. Sold as a failsafe, it failed completely. For months, tainted cartridges sat on shelves while METRC dutifully logged every barcode. The software didn’t prevent contamination or alert anyone to it. What it did do was bury small operators with thousands in fees and data entry. METRC is compliance cosplay: a digital leash that wastes precious time and money while guarding nothing.

The broader AU framework is a Frankenstein’s monster of red tape — designed to impress lawmakers, not protect users. Veteran advocate Paul McCarrier calls the rules “unreasonable and impractical,” and he’s right. METRC’s data deluge, redundant testing and bureaucratic overlap drive up costs and crush innovation.

Meanwhile, the real threat isn’t in licensed dispensaries — it’s in the gas stations and smoke shops selling unregulated THCa hemp products. These potent, intoxicating imports dodge oversight entirely. No lab checks, no tax revenue, no safety standards. If policymakers truly care about public health, they should focus there. The Mills administration has a bill that was carried over and should be prioritized when the Legislature reconvenes.

Worse, these THCa hemp products — often imported from lax jurisdictions — carry the potential for contaminants as bad as, or far worse than, anything in the regulated AU market. Buyers are rolling the dice on mystery chemicals that could rival the Yani recall’s dangers, but with zero recourse or recalls.

Maine’s hands-off approach leaves consumers, lured by cheap, high-potency vapes and edibles, exposed to unvetted risks. None of this THCa hemp is grown or processed in Maine. None of these THCa hemp companies pay Maine taxes, while Maine’s legal cannabis farmers suffer under obscene excise taxes.

Local businesses suffer at the hands of unregulated, out-of-state corporations. This isn’t freedom; it’s folly, prioritizing inaction over accountability in a shadow market that’s exploding unchecked. Congress acted by clarifying what hemp is in the latest Farm Bill. Maine should also clarify the definition of hemp to nip this in the bud. 

Fixing AU requires accredited labs, streamlined tracking and rules grounded in science, not vanity. And leave the medical market alone. Maine’s medical program has thrived for years without METRC micromanagement — built on trust, accessibility and common sense. Forcing it into the AU mold would be a disaster.

The Yani recall exposes the core flaw of Maine’s cannabis experiment: too many rules, too little reason. Lawmakers should cut the clutter, strengthen what works, and stop pretending that bureaucracy equals safety. Maine’s green economy — and its consumers — deserve better than this performative piety.