Let’s get one thing straight. There’s probably not another Senator in Maine I’ve disagreed with more over the years than Senator Scott Cyrway, the same guy now standing front and center as the anti-cannabis poster child behind this new Adult-Use Ballot Initiative. And what’s this thing include? Oh, just a few wild ideas like letting existing adult-use operators convert their recreational licenses into medical marijuana licenses.
Yeah, you read that right. The Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) would be tasked with “streamlining” that process. It also lets cannabis products currently sold in rec stores be transferred or sold to medical license holders, basically merging the two markets into some kind of weird hybrid.
WOAH. Let that sink in. This guy basically wants Maine’s Medical Program to absorb the Adult-Use Market.
A little history lesson on Scott Cyrway. He’s a former D.A.R.E. officer. (I could honestly stop there.) But if you’ve followed my page for any amount of time, you probably remember him for one of his all-time most ridiculous quotes: “Cannabis users usually make bad pet owners.” Yeah, that guy. So to say he’s been a thorn in my side is putting it lightly.
Let’s rewind to 2016. Back then, Maine’s legalization push was led by the out-of-state group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). The Maine political director for MPP at the time? None other than David Boyer, now a State Rep. from Poland who, interestingly enough, is against these new efforts to bring adult use back to the ballot. But… didn’t we already vote on this? Yes. In 2016, after a recount, Maine voted yes on legalization by just 3,995 votes. Not exactly a landslide.
And one of the biggest promises back then? “Recreational won’t affect the medical program.” That slogan was everywhere on signs, in interviews, at every petition table. Fast-forward to 2025, and yeah… that didn’t age well. Even when I started getting involved in policy back in 2017, I was already seeing adult-use operators trying to force medical into the same box as recreational breaking the promise made to voters from the start. And as recently as this year, tried again.
About those big sales projections. Back in 2019, three years after the vote and before the first legal sale, analysts were claiming adult-use sales in Maine would hit $452 million by 2025. Well, it’s 2025, and the program’s lucky if it breaks $250 million. That’s not growth — that’s a flop compared to expectations.
So how do I actually feel about this new ballot initiative? Here’s the thing: I almost never agree with Scott Cyrway on anything cannabis-related or almost anything at all. The man still operates from a D.A.R.E. handbook. But and hear me out, his lack of ACTUAL CANNABIS experience might actually be a weird blessing in disguise. Because Maine’s cannabis community is deep, passionate, and politically savvy. We’ve been in the trenches for decades. And maybe, just maybe, this whole situation could be an opportunity to rebuild the system into something better for everyone.
Will it be easy? Hell no. But let’s be honest, is anyone happy with the current setup right now? Didn’t think so. So instead of panicking or clinging to the same broken framework, maybe it’s time to treat this as what it could be: a chance for Maine to evolve, not implode, its cannabis market.
Derek Shirley was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 19, he received a felony for 4 ounces of cannabis. After, he became a “cannabis nomad” living in Ohio, Arizona, and Maine, which he now calls home, and lives with his wife Sequoia and son Haze.
Being a cannabis nomad had its advantages, like relying on all markets for his medical cannabis needs which gives him a unique perspective of the cannabis markets. Currently, he is an influential pro-cannabis activist in the state of Maine who helps local people and small businesses navigate their local and state governments without picking a political party specializing in protecting and preserving the small medical cannabis farmers of Maine. For fun, Derek enjoys screen printing and making cannabis memes under the pseudonym @gettinghighwithcats on IG and GettingHighwithCats on X/Twitter
