Read more: Visit website Jayson Whitmore, right, and Owen Keel chat as they work at SeaWeed Co. in Portland on Tuesday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
But with L.D. 40, sponsored by Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, all of that will to change. The legislation passed in both chambers and will become law without Gov. Janet Mills' signature.
The 86-page legislation aims to more closely align the cannabis and alcohol industries and smooth out the shopping experience by eliminating at-the-door ID checks, allowing minors to enter with their parent or guardian, allowing samples (to be consumed off-premises) and eliminating the opaque packaging requirement.
Alex McMahan, who helped draft the legislation, said businesses have had to bar octogenarians from even entering the building because they didn't have their driver's license on hand or deny entry to a mother with a baby stroller because her baby isn't 21 years old.
At SeaWeed Co., a recreational cannabis company which has locations in Portland and South Portland, business owners opted not to check IDs from a vestibule or behind a locked door, but rather hired a security guard. It makes the process feel slightly more inviting, said Kaspar Heinrici, director of business development. But it's still not ideal and it's an additional cost.
Many people complain that adult-use cannabis is more expensive than product from the medical market, Heinrici said, but recreational businesses often have additional costs like security and testing and track-and-trace requirements that drive up costs.
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