POLITICS
No Cap Recap BY SARA MCKEE
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M AT T H E W B O U R G E O I S
The “No Cap on Cannabis” initiative proposed modifying Chapter 35 of the Portland City Code, Governing the Regulation of Marijuana Businesses, in two ways: (1) reducing the required distance between marijuana retail facilities and dispensaries from 250 feet to 100 feet; and (2) removing the cap on the number of marijuana retail stores and dispensaries in the city. To be blunt: No cap, f@#$ yeah! The Yes on F Campaign passed with 53.1% in support and 46.9% against. This means that 20,918 Portland residents voted for free and fair market cannabis regulations. Yes on F was led by a grassroots collection of volunteers, industry members, and enthusiasts. Instead of littering signs up and down Franklin, signs were strategically placed throughout Portland, a “No Cap” Instagram page was established, and supporters reached out to their networks for support. Question F was ignored by mainstream political organizers who seemed to be alphabetically aligned. I don’t know about you, but I was receiving daily text messages imploring my inclination on: A, B, C, D, and E… but what about F?!
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MAINECANNABISCHRONICLE.COM
It was curious that members of the cannabis community were not supportive of removing the cap or relaxing the buffer. And the City Council wouldn’t speak of it during their countless hours deliberating and assessing the Colorado cannabis catastrophe! When the cotton mouth subsided, Portland’s City Council voted 5-3 to halt the first round of licensing, forgo the cap and buffer, and grant the 36 existing applicants licenses. This was a shock to the industry but a welcome action for process-weary applicants, nonetheless. Soon thereafter, the weeding out started. Applicants started receiving letters disqualifying them for various reasons including late tax payments. Thankfully, the city realized that they granted an extension for payments because of that COVID thing. Unfortunately, Portland did lose a handful of cannabis businesses to surrounding towns. Between the application process, restrictions (cap and buffer), and arbitrary licensing rules, applicants decided to go elsewhere. South Portland has provided refuge to many cannabis businesses that decided Portland was just not worth the squeeze.
