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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 948
H.P. 613 House of Representatives, March 11, 2025
An Act to Reduce Administrative Burdens and Expand Access in
the Laws Governing Cannabis
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 5, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PLUECKER of Warren.
Cosponsored by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland and
Representatives: BOYER of Poland, JULIA of Waterville, Senators: BRENNER of
Cumberland, President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Page 1 - 132LR2174(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2423-A, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2021, c. 662, §10 and
3 c. 669, §5, is further amended to read:
4 B. Cultivate up to 30 60 mature cannabis plants, up to 60 120 immature cannabis plants
5 and unlimited seedlings or cultivate up to 500 1,000 square feet of mature plant canopy,
6 up to 1,000 2,000 square feet of immature plant canopy and unlimited seedlings. A
7 caregiver may not cultivate immature plants by canopy if cultivating mature plants by
8 plant count and may not cultivate immature plants by plant count if cultivating mature
9 plants by canopy;
10Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2425-A, sub-§4, ¶D is enacted to read:
11 D. For an applicant holding a valid registration certificate and without any violations
12 of the provisions of this Act in the previous year, within 5 business days of receiving
13 evidence of municipal authorization pursuant to section 2429-D, subsection 3 when
14 necessary and payment of the registration fee pursuant to subsection 10, the department
15 shall issue a registry identification card to the applicant.
16Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §2425-A, sub-§5, ¶A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 679, Pt. A,
17 §12, is further amended to read:
18 A. A registry identification card expires 2 years after the date of issuance, regardless
19 of the person's employment status, except that a caregiver's registry identification card
20 expires one year after the date of issuance. The card must contain:
21 (1) The name of the cardholder;
22 (2) The date of issuance and expiration date;
23 (3) A randomly generated unique identification number to the cardholder;
24 (4) A clear designation showing whether the cardholder is allowed under this
25 chapter to cultivate cannabis plants; and
26 (5) A photograph of the cardholder, if required by the department.
27Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §2425-A, sub-§7, ¶D is enacted to read:
28 D. For an applicant without any violations of the provisions of this Act in the previous
29 year, within 10 business days of receiving evidence of municipal authorization
30 pursuant to section 2429-D, subsection 3 when necessary and payment of the
31 registration fee pursuant to subsection 10, the department shall issue a registration
32 certificate to the applicant.
33Sec. 5. 22 MRSA §2425-A, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2019, c. 331, §20 and PL
34 2021, c. 669, §5, is further amended to read:
358. Requirements for issuance of registration certificates. A registration certificate
36 expires one year 2 years after the date of issuance. The certificate must contain:
37 A. The name of the certificate holder;
38 B. The date of issuance and expiration date of the registration certificate;
39 C. A random identification number that is unique to the certificate holder;
Page 2 - 132LR2174(01)
1 D. The physical address of the certificate holder and, if the certificate holder is a
2 dispensary, the physical address of one additional location, if any, where cannabis
3 plants will be cultivated; and
4 E. A clear designation showing whether the certificate holder is allowed under this
5 chapter to cultivate cannabis plants.
6Sec. 6. 28-B MRSA §208, as amended by PL 2023, c. 679, Pt. B, §40, is further
7 amended to read:
8§208. License term
9 An active license issued by the office pursuant to section 205, subsection 4 is effective
10 for a period of one year 2 years from the date of issuance and may be renewed pursuant to
11 section 209.
12Sec. 7. 28-B MRSA §209, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
136. Automatic renewal; licensees with no violations. For licensees without any
14 violations of the provisions of this Act in the previous year and that have obtained local
15 authorization as required by section 402, subsection 3, paragraph B or, in the case of a
16 cannabis establishment located in the unorganized and deorganized areas, as required by
17 section 403, subsection 3, paragraphs B and C, 90 days prior to the expiration of an existing
18 license issued under section 205, subsection 4, the office shall require only the payment of
19 the license fee under this section and shall issue a new active license prior to the expiration
20 of the current active license.
21SUMMARY
22 This bill increases the current limit under the medical cannabis laws to allow a
23 caregiver to cultivate up to 60 mature cannabis plants, up to 120 immature cannabis plants,
24 up to 1,000 square feet of mature plant canopy and up to 2,000 square feet of immature
25 plant canopy. The bill also amends the medical cannabis and adult use cannabis laws to
26 extend registration and license periods from one year to 2 and updates the license renewal
27 process for registrants and licensees without any violations of those laws in the previous
28 year to require only the payment of the license fee or registration fee to the Department of
29 Administrative and Financial Services, Office of Cannabis Policy for a new active license
30 to be issued.
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