Two marijuana testing labs in Portland, Maine, were granted temporary permits to begin operations, clearing a major hurdle in the state’s rollout of a recreational cannabis market.
Maine’s adult-use marijuana program has been on hold since voters approved it in 2016, and a lack of labs to test recreational products has been a roadblock for the program.
The temporary permits will expire six months after the city adopts permanent licensing rules, which could happen as soon as next month.
Labs then are required to apply for a permanent license, a process that requires having plans for security, waste disposal and odor mitigation.
ProVerde has already been testing medical marijuana for the past year and a half.
Adult-use marijuana sales in Maine were slated to begin in March, but concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak have put that on hold until at least June.
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