PORTLAND — Maine’s medical marijuana industry accounted for up to $75 million in sales and generated as much as much as $5 million in tax revenue for the state last year.
The numbers are small but experts and lawmakers say they are expected to grow, especially if Maine joins other states and legalizes recreational pot use.
State Rep. Adam Goode, House chairman of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee, tells the Portland Press Herald the tax revenue isn’t going to fix any problems, but it helps.
Money flows into the state from the medical marijuana program in three ways: fees charged to caregivers, sales tax paid at dispensaries and sales tax paid by patients who buy directly from caregivers.
Medical marijuana advocates estimate that there are more than 15,000 medical marijuana patients in Maine.
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