The Office of Marijuana Policy announced it will begin accepting applications for growing, manufacturing and retailing on Dec. 5, one of the few remaining steps before the recreational market opens in March.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny Overton is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics and spent a fellowship year exploring the impact of climate change on the lobster fishery with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Before moving to Maine, she has covered politics, environment, casino gambling and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut, and Arizona. Her favorite assignments allow her to introduce readers to unusual people, cultures, or subjects. When off the clock, Penny is usually getting lost in a new book at a local coffeehouse, watching foreign crime shows or planning her family’s next adventure.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
Lobster industry braces for right whale changes amid turbulent times
The state will hold industry meetings this week on its proposal to protect endangered right whales before submitting a final plan to federal fishing regulators in mid-November.
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Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Maine Cannabis Report
New federal hemp program expected to help growing Maine industry
Approved farmers will be eligible for key federal agriculture assistance, including farm loans and insurance, in 2020.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
Maine lobster landings ‘are way off,’ down 40% from last year
Fishermen had landed less than 50 million pounds by the end of September, a 38% decline from the 5-year average. The state’s top fishing regulator says ‘that doesn’t mean the sky is falling.’
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Former Portland deputy chief now in charge of Maine’s cannabis compliance
Vern Malloch, who served 35 years in the Portland Police Department, is the first director of compliance in Maine’s newly created Office of Marijuana Policy.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Maine Cannabis Report
Out-of-state hemp now allowed in Maine CBD market
For one month, Maine hemp farmers had the state’s CBD-infused food market to themselves, but a law change has reopened it to out-of-state growers.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Hopes for hemp farm in Whitefield wilt as bank and insurer cut farmers loose
Farming hemp is legal under state and federal law, but many in the banking and insurance industries still consider it too hot to handle.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Maine Cannabis Report
Slow rollout in marijuana sales cost Maine revenue and jobs
Three years after legalizing adult-use marijuana, the state’s still waiting for retail shops. Consultants say the economy paid the price as dollars and expertise went elsewhere.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
State floats whale protection plan that would affect a fraction of state’s lobster fleet
Only 1,200 of Maine’s 5,000 licensed lobstermen have permits to fish in federal waters, where the state’s proposal would require them to add traps on each buoy line to help right whales avoid entanglement.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Maine Cannabis Report
Portland wants to score marijuana store applicants
A proposed scoring system for the city’s 20 licenses would favor women- and minority-owned businesses, Maine residents, those willing to share profits with the city and those with a business track record.