Medical marijuana caregivers are calling for a larger role in the state’s regulation process of the industry. Earlier this year, the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy released proposed regulations as it looks to align the industry more closely with current state laws.

Leaders in Maine’s medical marijuana industry say, however, that what’s included in the proposed regulations could hurt small businesses, while favoring large corporations.

“It’s really a massive, comprehensive, extra legislative overhaul of a program,” said Mark Barnett, the owner of Higher Grounds, a coffee shop and medical marijuana dispensary in Portland. Barnett is also the executive chair of the Maine Craft Cannabis Association.

Many growers and cultivators have shown opposition to the proposed rule change during a public hearing in March. The proposed regulations would require medical marijuana operations to have 24/7 surveillance of the site, and require caregivers to use the state’s inventory tracking system, which is already being used for Maine’s adult-use market.

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