AUGUSTA — The state’s medical cannabis industry took center stage at the State House Monday as lawmakers considered two bills to institute new testing requirements.
As it is now, recreational cannabis sold in Maine is subject to testing for pesticides, mold and metals. But cannabis sold through the medical market is not required to be tested.
It’s a loophole that the Maine Public Health Association wants to close.
“These products are used by folks across Maine to manage health conditions,” said Matt Wellington, associate director of the association. “They deserve assurance that they are not contaminated with substances that could actually harm their health.”
Statistics from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy show 42% of medical cannabis tested in 2023 had at least one contaminant that would have failed standards set for the adult use program.
However, several medical cannabis growers and patients oppose the bills, saying they will add costs to small farmers who already operate on thin margins.
Derek Shirley, a medical cannabis patient who is active at the State House, said growers are focused on clean, affordable products.
“People have been using cannabis for hundreds of thousands of years without testing just fine,” he said. “We believe this is an attack method to destroy the remaining small businesses and farmers.”
Shirley said the medical cannabis industry has dropped from more than 3,000 registered caregivers to 1,600.
“These regulations would put a lot of farmers out of business,” he said. “Regardless of how you feel about cannabis, medical, adult use, cannabis is one of our top agricultural plants.”
Maine has two systems that govern the sale of cannabis. One is a medical program that has more than 1,600 registered caregivers who serve more 100,000 people each year, according to the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
The adult-use or recreational program had nearly $244 million in sales in 2024, representing 4.5 million transactions. So far this year, the adult use sector has reported about $56 million in sales.
One bill considered by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Monday is LD 104, which would require mandatory testing of medical cannabis for pesticides, heavy metals and mold.
The other, LD 1847, would also institute testing, tracking and tracing requirements and establish a cap on the amount of THC in edible medical cannabis products.
In addition, it seeks to form a study group to examine youth cannabis use, divert some of the taxes collected on adult sales toward public health and safety awareness and change packaging requirements for edible gummies to reduce accidental ingestion.
Rep. Marc Malon (D-Biddeford) is sponsoring LD 104 at the request of the state’s cannabis policy office. He said he too strongly supports the new testing requirements and noted that of the more than 30 states with medical cannabis programs, Maine is the only one that does not require testing.
“The word medical means something, it connotes a higher purpose and quality,” Malon said.
The committee will consider the bills at a future work session.
The recent rain in Maine is easing the drought that parts of the state have been experiencing since the fall.
Scott Dean, a Spectrum meteorologist, said much of Maine has been at least “dry” for several months. Parts of the state, including Portland, Bangor and Bar Harbor, are under a “moderate” drought.
Much of the country is also experiencing a drought, Dean added. The Southeast is seeing extreme levels of drought, and the West coast has been under a drought for years. There are many factors that go into this, including climate change, weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña and other factors.
And, when an area does experience drought, it can become a feedback loop. With less moisture in the ground and atmosphere, the drought can “feed upon itself,” Dean said.
“It takes a while to get into a drought and it also takes a while to get out of one,” Dean said.
But, the rainy days in Maine have been alleviating the drought, Dean said. And, the trend is likely to continue — the forecast is predicting above average levels of precipitation for the next three to four weeks.
“Hopefully, we are continuing to head in the right direction as the drought has eased in these areas,” Dean said.
In fact, if these rains do continue, Maine could come out of the drought sometime this summer.
Craig Joseph Ahlemeyer
STANDISH – Craig J. Ahlemeyer, 48 of Standish, passed away unexpectedly, Saturday, June 13, 2026.A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 27 th at Standish Congregational Church, 25 Oak Hill Road in Standish. A reception will follow.To see Craig’s full obituary, share a memory or leave the family an online condolence, please visit http://www.athutchins.com.
“Do you ever think we could find some woods to walk in?” my outdoorsy 12-year-old asks me, every now and again. As a kid growing up in New York City, Anton appreciates all the skate parks and bagel shops, but he also really craves nature, like in his bones.
So, when school got out, I offered to take him for a weekend in Maine, a place with not only woods but also lakes and rocks and periwinkles that come out of their shells when you hum. We were both really excited.
The first night, we were lucky enough to snag a room at Aragosta, a beautiful small hotel in Deer Isle that Alison had recommended.
The chef-owner, Devin Finigan, is famous for her seasonal tasting menus, but we focused on the breakfast that came with the room, including these Maine blueberry pancakes. I don’t even usually like pancakes and these blew my mind.
We also played a LOT of chess on our little travel board.
After breakfast, we set out to hike up Blue Hill Mountain.
Here’s the summit!
In the afternoon, we explored the charming fishing village of Stonington…
…then joined my friend Julie (of Rudy Jude fame) and her family for dinner at the Burnt Cove Boil.
Basically, a crab gets plonked down in front of you, followed by a corn on the cob, then a lobster, then a classic ice-cream sandwich. Julie and her husband Anthony taught us how to get all the meat out. (Their kids were already pros.)
Afterward, the four boys scrambled around on the rocks, while the adults chatted. It’s always such a treat to hang out with people who live in the place you’re visiting, don’t you think? Julie and Anthony described how they brought their recently hatched chicks into their home to keep them warm, and all the peeping was sooooo loud — and then a cricket got into the house and added to the noise and no one could find it and everyone was going nuts, haha. Very different from city life!
The next day, Anton and I stayed at the lovely Asticou Hotel near Acadia National Park.
We drove to a couple trailheads but they were PACKED — you had to stand in a long line, just to start the hike! Luckily, we found a quieter area and took a long walk around Jordan Pond, playing Would You Rather and Categories along the way. Do you have any favorite travel games?
Finally, we skimmed stones on our last afternoon before heading back to Brooklyn.
Epic travel buddy
Oh, Maine, what a magical place! Not pictured, of course: traffic, grumpy preteen moments, locking our keys in the rental car, etc., but all that’s to be expected.
Have you been to Maine? Do you live there? What parts do you love? Any pro tips? I’d love to hear. xoxo
P.S. Our Maine trip — and another amazing hotel — when the boys were much younger, and a Maine home with a bedroom looking over water.
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