A group of recreational cannabis flower products purchased in October at Brilliant Buds in Bethel were fully compliant with state requirements.

The stickers for the “Find.” brand products displayed required warnings, strain names, potency values, processor license information and batch identifiers.

But when the recreational stickers were peeled back after being purchased on Oct. 24, medical cannabis labels were found underneath. The labels included Curaleaf’s Auburn facility address and medical-style batch data. Curaleaf is one of the largest multistate medical cannabis operators in the United States.

Was it a labeling error? Was the product for medical use instead of recreational? Was it simply a case of recycled packaging?

Those questions and more are at the core of labeling irregularities in Maine’s cannabis packaging, verification and retail compliance model: repurposed or mislabeled consumer packages can move through intake, stocking and point-of-sale without triggering an alert.

One recreational-use bag labeled “Turnpike Cookies” revealed a medical label beneath it printed with the strain “MAC 1.” A second bag of “Mintz Snackz” had the same label. In both cases, the originally labeled strain name was faintly visible through the sticker.

The discovery does not establish wrongdoing or intentional misconduct, but it does raise questions for consumers and regulators who may not necessarily be able to distinguish if a product on the shelf had an old label that was not properly removed or if the product was intended for one market but was being sold in the other without following all required rules.

In the case of the layered labels at Brilliant Buds, it was all legal. Maine’s recreational cannabis rules do not prohibit layered labels, and the final, visible sticker is treated as the compliance record at retail.

With labels from different regulatory programs remaining visible beneath a retail sticker, however, it has created confusion among consumers who want to know exactly where their cannabis is from and raised questions about packaging quality control.

Under Maine rules, the label itself is the mechanism by which retail compliance is communicated and enforced. The Office of Cannabis Policy allows multiple labels on a recreational package, provided required information is not obstructed.

Maine’s recreational cannabis program includes mandatory testing, track and trace, stringent labeling and universal symbols. The medical cannabis program does not require mandatory testing or track & trace.

Kaspar Heinrici, chief executive director of SeaWeed Co. in Portland, said the recreational cannabis market operates under a level of scrutiny that is often misunderstood by the public.

“There is still a misperception that cannabis operators are putting a plant into a bag with little oversight,” he said. “The reality is that regulated recreational operators are working with a level of organization, testing and standard operating procedures closer to the medical or financial services industries.”

TRACING CANNABIS

Maine’s recreational system requires cannabis sold at retail to be identifiable for recall purposes through batch information printed on the label.

Heinrici said Maine’s batch-based approach is intended to balance public health protections with operational practicality.

“If there is an issue with one unit of a product, it likely extends to the rest of the package and potentially the package it came from,” he said. “Being overly specific at the individual unit level is not going to provide additional benefit.”

At the retail shelf, compliance and recall depend on the accuracy of the information printed on the visible retail label. Inspection quality can vary depending on staffing levels, lighting, workflow and training. Batch numbers are often printed in small type.

The rule does not require individual retail units, such as eighths, quarters, ounces or pre-rolls, to carry a unique electronic identifier, radio frequency identification tags or scannable code. But it does for cultivation and wholesale inventory movement.

Maine uses Metrc (short for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance) a track-and-trace inventory system adopted in many cannabis jurisdictions.

Other states use different track-and-trace platforms. For example, Connecticut uses BioTrack. In Connecticut, each retail cannabis unit carries a printed unit identification number with a machine-readable barcode, as well as a QR code with a link.

A Curaleaf “Ched-R-Cheez” cannabis label from Connecticut shows a printed unit identification number with a machine-readable barcode and a QR code intended to link consumers to batch-specific test results. (Courtesy photo)

Curaleaf is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and operates more than 150 operates medical and recreational dispensaries nationwide.

Maine consumers do not have a comparable consumer-facing verification tool.

Heinrici said that while testing and traceability are essential, additional regulatory layers do not always translate into better consumer outcomes.

“The track-and-trace and testing requirements are important for public health, but they verge on being overly detailed and overly burdensome for the end consumer,” he said. “More regulation always comes with a cost, and that cost ultimately shows up at the register.”

SHIFTING MARKET IN MAINE

Curaleaf entered Maine in 2016 through its relationship with Remedy Compassion Center, one of the state’s original eight nonprofit medical cannabis dispensaries and the first to open under Maine’s medical program.

While Curaleaf exited recreational retail storefronts in Maine in 2023, citing competitive pressures, the company remained active in the state’s medical cannabis program as well as recreational cultivation and manufacturing.

It appears Curaleaf is dipping its toes back into recreational retail. In late November, job postings for Curaleaf-managed operations at Brilliant Buds in Bethel signaled a return through a licensed partner rather than a Curaleaf-branded store. Additional Curaleaf job listings in Bangor indicate a recreational retail component planned for that location.

Curaleaf did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this article. Attempts to seek comment from Brilliant Buds were also unsuccessful.

A reporter visited the Bethel store in person but was asked to leave upon entry. A follow-up phone call to the store and subsequent emails seeking comment were not answered.

Office of Cannabis Policy Data Analytics Director Eric Miller said recently that recreational sales are strongest in western and southern Maine, particularly in border-adjacent regions near New Hampshire, a factor that may help explain Curaleaf’s focus on Bethel.

John Hudak, the director of Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy, said sales data suggest some border effects, but emphasized they are not the primary driver of Maine’s recreational market.

“I think New Hampshire is having an impact in York and Cumberland County, but it’s not the major driver of Maine’s cannabis economy,” Hudak said, adding that tourism and Maine consumers account for most recreational sales.

MEDICAL vs. RECREATIONAL

Maine regulates cannabis under three distinct frameworks: medical cannabis, recreational cannabis and hemp-derived products. Each system operates under different statutes, labeling rules, testing standards and tax structures.

Recreational cannabis is overseen by the Office of Cannabis Policy and is subject to labeling rules, mandatory third-party testing, Metrc oversight and a 10% excise tax. As of late 2025, Maine lists roughly 180 licensed recreational cannabis stores, along with 78 cultivation facilities and 81 manufacturing facilities statewide.

According to data from the Maine Office of Cannabis Police, monthly taxable cannabis sales in Maine show medical sales peaking earlier and then leveling off, while recreational sales rise steadily after legalization, narrowing the gap between the two markets from 2022 through 2025. (Rebecca Richard/Staff Writer)

Maine’s medical cannabis program is also overseen, separately, by the Office of Cannabis Policy. Maine lists 86 active medical dispensaries and approximately 1,554 registered caregivers statewide. A medical cannabis caregiver is an individual or business authorized to grow and sell cannabis directly to registered patients, often operating at smaller scale and under less prescriptive labeling and testing rules.

“From a caregiver standpoint, testing and transparency matter because trust is everything,” said a Franklin County-area medical cannabis caregiver who requested anonymity. “Even unintentional confusion around labeling or testing can make patients question whether a product is safe.”

In July, cPort Credit Union notified many medical cannabis caregivers and caregiver storefronts statewide that their business accounts would be closed, citing evolving compliance expectations and regulatory risk. The decision did not apply to licensed medical dispensaries, which are subject to higher levels of oversight.

“Patients ask more questions now than they did a few years ago,” said the Franklin County caregiver. “Public perception around safety is shaped as much by labeling and communication as by the product itself.”

The labeling incident in Bethel illustrates a possible hole in Maine’s recreational oversight model. Cultivation and wholesale movement can be tracked with some accuracy, but at the retail shelf things can get much more dicey, relying on individual inspectors and label accuracy — rather than actual traceability.

At the point of sale, the sticker is the system. Against that backdrop, state regulators are continuing broader discussions about testing standards and consumer protection.

The Office of Cannabis Policy hosted a Cannabis Conversation on Testing Lab Standards on Dec. 22, hosted by director Hudak, which focused on how the state and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention work together to ensure certified cannabis testing labs, examining laboratory procedures, oversight and public health standards. The video can be watched on Maine OCP’s YouTube page.

A major cryptocurrency ATM operator will pay $1.9 million to Maine residents who were defrauded by scammers using the company’s kiosks, according to a consent agreement with the state.

The agreement, between Bitcoin Depot and the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, follows a two-year investigation that included the Office of the Maine Attorney General. It was signed in December and announced Monday.

Bitcoin Depot is based in Atlanta and operates over 25,000 kiosks in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Mexico and Hong Kong, according to its website. The company operated about 80 unlicensed kiosks in Maine — until the state passed emergency legislation in June to regulate virtual currency ATMs.

Bitcoin Depot’s website no longer lists kiosks in Maine. “They’ve been gone since last summer,” said Linda Conti, bureau superintendent.

Most of the company’s machines were in York, Cumberland, Kennebec and Penobscot counties, Conti said.

It’s unclear how many Mainers have been scammed through Bitcoin Depot kiosks, exactly where they were located or how much money each victim might receive.

“We will not know how much each refund will be until we have received and reviewed all of the claims,” according to information posted on the bureau’s website.

Claims must be filed on or before April 1, 2026, and may be submitted online. The bureau will begin issuing refunds in May.

INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY

The bureau said the scams involved transactions made at Bitcoin Depot kiosks, where people purchased cryptocurrency and deposited it into “unhosted wallets” provided by third-party fraudsters.

An unhosted wallet is a type of digital wallet that is hosted and controlled by a user, rather than by a financial institution, money transmitter, exchange or other virtual asset service provider.

Although Bitcoin Depot no longer has kiosks in Maine,nearly 100 other cryptocurrency ATMs are still operating across the state, Conti said, including CoinFlip, CoinStar and Coinme machines.

In March 2023, bureau investigators found that Bitcoin Depot kiosks in Maine appeared to provide money transmission functions and invited the company to apply for a money transmitter license, according to the consent agreement.

The company applied for a license that month, but the application wasn’t deemed complete until February 2025 and was denied in April 2025. Bitcoin Depot appealed the decision in May.

In July 2025, the bureau provided Bitcoin Depot with a list of consumer transactions at its kiosks in which Maine consumers may have suffered financial loss and harm as a result of third-party fraudsters.

As part of the consent agreement, Bitcoin Depot must send a $1.9 million check to Maine’s attorney general by Feb. 2 and has agreed to fully comply with Maine’s consumer protection laws as a now-licensed money transmitter.

Bitcoin Depot is still licensed to transmit funds in Maine through online transactions, Conti said.

The bureau continues to investigate other cryptocurrency kiosk operators, she said. “The kiosks are where the trouble happens,” Conti said.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Gov. Janet Mills praised the bureau for securing an agreement with Bitcoin Depot “that will put money back into the pockets of Maine people who were defrauded by predatory third-party scammers.”

Mills urged all Mainers “to talk with their loved ones about the threats of scammers and precautions to take to avoid these cruel and often sophisticated schemes.” 

Maine has recently adopted laws that protect consumers from third-party scammers, including the Maine Money Transmission Modernization Act, which the governor signed in 2024.

In June 2025, Mills also signed emergency legislation that limits daily transmission amounts from virtual currency kiosks, caps fees and exchange rates, and provides redress for consumers.

“Maine’s new consumer protection laws have allowed us to reach this consent agreement,” Conti said. “Whenever you have new technologies, you’re going to have people who are vulnerable and need to be protected.”

The laws include an unhosted wallet provision, which requires money transmitters to employ new technologies to ensure that Maine consumers own and control their virtual wallets.

To be eligible for a portion of the $1.9 million, claimants must have been a Maine resident between 2022 and 2025; used a Bitcoin Depot kiosk in Maine during that period to convert cash to cryptocurrecy; and deposited the cryptocurrency into an unhosted wallet provided by a scammer or third-party fraudster.

The full consent agreement and FAQs for consumers are available on the bureau’s website. For more information call 800-332-8529 or 207-624-8527.

Costs are up. It’s all around.

Nationally, inflation charted 2.7% in November, according to the latest available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure was slightly higher in the northeast region, where prices rose about 3.1% in November compared to the same month last year.

The latest inflation numbers were better than some had expected, but many Americans say they still feel the pinch of high prices.

James Myall, an analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank, said that disconnect between “high-level” economic data and consumer sentiment is likely driven by the price of essentials, which carry more weight than other expenses.

“Probably, the things that people are feeling the most are those costs that feel unavoidable: rent, groceries,” Myall said.

Myall noted that the rate of price increases has slowed since its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, from about 2021 to 2023, but wage growth also appears to be losing steam, which can further weaken Mainers’ spending power in the face of rising prices.

All told, Myall said the economy appears to be on a better trajectory than he expected in early 2025. But Trump administration policies like tariffs and mass deportations, which could shrink the labor pool, still leave things on shaky ground.

“I feel like we’ve gone from a generally strong and growing economy, especially for workers, (a year ago) to one that’s like plateauing and maybe teetering on the edge a little bit,” Myall said.

In preparation for the new year, we reviewed the cost of essentials to see how prices changed in 2025, and where things stand at the beginning of 2026.

Groceries

In January 2025, the average price for a gallon of 2% milk was $4.91, a pound of 80/20 ground beef was $5.70, and a dozen large, brown eggs cost $5.50. That’s according to data collected by Maine Public, which surveyed four grocers across the state.

On Tuesday, the average price of eggs at Whole Foods, Hannaford, Shaw’s and Walmart locations in Greater Portland was $3.03. That marks a 44.9% decrease — though prices were anomalously high at the beginning of last year, driven up by a surge in avian flu.

For a pound of ground beef, the average price was $6.23, a 9.3% rise. And the average milk price was $4.49 — down 8.6% from January.

Vehicles

Overall, Mainers paid less for new cars and more for used cars in 2025 than in 2024, according to data aggregated by Cox Automotive Group, operator of Kelley Blue Book.

The average sale price for a new car in Maine was $46,289 at the beginning of December 2025, down about 5.1% from $48,756 at the same time in 2024.

Maine’s prices were lower than the national average: $49,913 in December 2024 and $47,042 in December 2025, according to preliminary data shared with the Press Herald. Nationally, the average price for new cars hit an all-time record of $50,080 in September, Kelley Blue Book announced.

But it was a different story for used vehicles. The average sale price for used cars in Maine rose about 7.1%, from $28,813 in December 2024 to $30,868 a year later. Nationally, used car sale prices went from $29,570 to $30,383 — a 2.7% increase, according to the Cox data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics meanwhile reported a 3.6% increase in used car prices from November 2024 to 2025.

Vehicle retailer CarGurus, which also tracks used car prices nationally, reported a smaller change. Its average price was $27,570 at the beginning of December, up about $112 or 0.4% from a year earlier.

But prices rose more sharply for SUVs and crossovers (1.3%), sedans (2.3%) and pickup trucks (3.7%), according to CarGurus.

Gas

The price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline fell about 10 cents between the beginning of 2025 and the same time in 2026, according to data aggregated by AAA.

On average, a gallon of gas ran about $2.93 on Friday, a 3.3% drop since the same date in 2025, when the price was about $3.03. Premium gas fell from about $4.01 to $3.97 a gallon, or about 1%.

The price of diesel, however, rose about 5% in that time frame, from about $3.79 to $3.98 per gallon.

Electricity

Energy costs continue to grow faster than the pace of inflation. In the northeast, energy prices rose 6.3% year-over-year in November — more than double the overall rate of inflation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In Maine, rising electricity costs are a key concern for ratepayers and public officials. The state’s electricity costs are largely reliant on the price of natural gas, which is used to generate electricity, and customers also have to pay their utility to deliver that power to their homes and businesses.

For customers of Central Maine Power Co., the state’s largest electrical utility, the average bill will be 12.4% higher this month than it was a year prior.

That translates to a charge of $168.41 this month, compared to $149.76 in January 2025 for households using the typical 550 kilowatt-hours, according to the state Department of Energy Resources and Public Utilities Commission. Exact amounts vary based on customers’ usage.

Heating oil

Roughly half of Mainers rely on oil as their primary home heating source — the most of any state.

Statewide, the average cost for a gallon of heating oil was $3.47 last week, according to the latest available data from the Maine Department of Energy Resources.

That’s about eight cents higher, or 2.4%, than it was at the end of 2024, according to an archive of the state’s website. Back then, the statewide average clocked in at $3.39.

During that same window, a gallon of propane fell from $3.32 to $3.29 and the average cost of kerosene rose from $4.18 to $4.40 per gallon. About 16% of Mainers rely on propane and other tank-stored fuels for heat, according to data from the American Community Survey.