When you think of Maine products what do you think of?
I think a majority of people think of lobster! If you live in the New England area (or maybe farther) you might be familiar with Maine’s potato, blueberry, and even our maple syrup industry, which brings in a cool $22 million a year in a state with a population size of 1.4 million people! For our purposes, we’re going to talk about where cannabis falls in all of this and what the future holds for the state.
According to the Portland Press Herald, blueberries had a rough year in 2022 making $55.5 million for the state, which declined from the previous year’s total of $80 million. This was partially due to a 26% drop in overall production from 2021, as blueberries are extremely dependent on proper weather conditions to achieve maximum yields.
Next let’s take a look at the Maine potato industry. First, I have a random fact I’d like to share with you. School age children in the areas where the state’s potato farms are located get to miss the first two weeks of school to assist with the potato harvest. Industry leaders in the past said this is a crucial labor force to their industry.
Potatoes have been a long-standing backbone industry in Maine. The Maine Potato Board and University of Maine potato breeding program that introduced the Caribou Russet variety are examples of their dedication. According to the USDA, potatoes in Maine did about $258 million in sales in 2022 from roughly 1.8 billion pounds of potatoes.
Probably the most “well-known” Maine product is the classic lobster! So roughly how much money does the little sea bug bring into Vacationland annually? According to the Department of Marine Resources, in 2022 Maine’s lobster industry had approximately $388 million in sales in 2022.
Now, let’s talk about where adult use and medical marijuana fall into this comparison. According to a Portland Press Herald article released on 9/18/2023, Maine’s medical cannabis program had $305 million in revenue in 2022. From our earlier reporting, we know that Maine’s adult-use marijuana program had $158 million in sales in 2022. So right there that tells us that total cannabis sales for 2002 in Maine was approximately $463 million dollars. We can expect that number to continue to climb in the coming years as the market continues to mature.
Yes, Maine is known as “Vacationland” and is a place to enjoy lobsters amongst other food industries. However, it’s time local and state governments start respecting the fact this PLANT is changing our “cash crop” ideology down to the very core.
It’s time people either get with the cannabis program…or get the f**k out of office.
About The Author
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, Derek operates People Not Parties Consulting, which 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.
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