PORTLAND, Maine — The City of Portland is reminding marijuana businesses they must be licensed to operate. This comes as retail marijuana sales in Maine tp those 21 or older are set to begin October 9.

The city’s marijuana ordinance, which went into effect on June 17, says businesses must obtain a license for Cultivation, Manufacturing, Retail and Small Scale Caregivers. Existing businesses must immediately apply for a business license in order to legally continue operating. Failure to do so may result in a notice of violation or other enforcement action.

Marijuana business licensing information can be found here.

Maine moved one step closer to retail cannabis sales on September 8 as State regulators issued the first active licenses for adult-use marijuana establishments. The Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) issued six licenses that day: three for cultivation facilities, two for marijuana stores, and one for a marijuana testing facility.

The first conditional licenses were issued in March and OMP planned for a spring launch, but the schedule was derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the laws related to personal use, possession, and consumption of marijuana, recreational consumers will only be able to purchase from licensed adult-use establishments. Unless transitioned to the adult-use program, existing medical marijuana caregiver storefronts may only sell marijuana and marijuana products to certified patients. Maine law prohibits the sale of medical and non-medical marijuana from the same establishment.