Maine legalized medical use cannabis in 1999, long before many other states. However, after adult-use cannabis was legalized by a vote in 2016, it effectively stayed inaccessible for another two years, with licenses finally going live and prohibition being lifted on December 5 of this year and retail sales not starting until March of 2020.
Evergreen Cannabis established themselves in Maine’s medical marijuana industry and are now preparing to shift their business to accommodate a new economic model. Co-founders Andy and Kristin Pettingill, as well as Operations Director and General Manager Sergio Hernandez have become intimately familiar with the necessary licenses, change in tax structure, and shifting legal policy that is finally bringing about transformative change.
Today, the Evergreen Cannabis team joins the podcast to talk about what brought them into the cannabis industry from their culinary and medical care backgrounds, and what they’re doing to prepare for adult-use legalization in Maine. You’ll hear all about the unique hurdles they’ve overcome as they’ve built out their business, the financial challenges they’ve faced in working with bankers and investors, and how to ensure that customers have great experiences, no matter what they need.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- What held up the legalization adult-use cannabis for three years in Maine, even though it had been voted in as legal in 2016 – and how administrations have ignored the will of the people to keep cannabis inaccessible, even after yes votes.
- How city governments and the state of Maine are shifting tax structures to collect additional revenue, distribute licenses, and keep single streets from consisting of 20 adult-use cannabis shops.
- How Evergreen Cannabis is designing their first adult-use shop to cater to the needs of a broad range of consumers and create return customers.
- How adult-use staffers at a shop in Seattle showed Sergio the benefits of a full-service interaction.
- Why the Evergreen Cannabis team doesn’t expect to see full federal legalization happening anytime soon.
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