Cannabis cafes in Portland can now sell lattes without marijuana in them.Since Mainers legalized the sale of recreational marijuana in 2020, over three dozen cannabis shops and cafes have popped up in the Portland area, but until Monday, they were unable to serve beverages that required preparation. The Portland mayor and the City Council unanimously approved changing the city’s code (chapters 35 and 15) on Monday to allow cannabis retail stores to operate as restaurants when it comes to nonalcoholic beverage prep. This means that marijuana shops can now make and sell non-cannabis infused drinks that require preparation to patrons who are at least 21 years old.The successful vote to amend the city’s code was a welcome outcome for Mark Barnett, the owner of Higher Grounds on Wharf Street, a business that opened in 2017 as a regular coffee shop before becoming a marijuana retail store in 2020. Barnett spoke ahead of the vote and said being unable to sell his most popular steam-milk beverages at Higher Grounds caused him “severe economic pain.” Barnett also said amending the city’s code could benefit other cannabis shops that might be struggling downtown. “It would also allow any other marijuana retail stores to better diversify their revenue streams in a time of economic crisis, which any member of the downtown community or the cannabis community could tell you that we are already in the grips of,” said Barnett. According to city officials, the amendment will cost the city $102,802 because an additional marijuana inspector will have to be hired to ensure businesses are complying with the license requirements. Councilor Anna Bullett, the sponsor of the amendment, noted that Portland would have had to hire an additional inspector anyway due to the fact that the current inspector is past their capacity for the almost 100 licensed marijuana businesses in the city. “One of the things about changing something like legalizing cannabis in the entire state is that you kind of have to write new rules,” said Bullett. “And sometimes you have to change the rules that you wrote because new things happen; this is one of those circumstances.”
Cannabis cafes in Portland can now sell lattes without marijuana in them.
Since Mainers legalized the sale of recreational marijuana in 2020, over three dozen cannabis shops and cafes have popped up in the Portland area, but until Monday, they were unable to serve beverages that required preparation.
The Portland mayor and the City Council unanimously approved changing the city’s code (chapters 35 and 15) on Monday to allow cannabis retail stores to operate as restaurants when it comes to nonalcoholic beverage prep. This means that marijuana shops can now make and sell non-cannabis infused drinks that require preparation to patrons who are at least 21 years old.
The successful vote to amend the city’s code was a welcome outcome for Mark Barnett, the owner of Higher Grounds on Wharf Street, a business that opened in 2017 as a regular coffee shop before becoming a marijuana retail store in 2020.
Barnett spoke ahead of the vote and said being unable to sell his most popular steam-milk beverages at Higher Grounds caused him “severe economic pain.” Barnett also said amending the city’s code could benefit other cannabis shops that might be struggling downtown.
“It would also allow any other marijuana retail stores to better diversify their revenue streams in a time of economic crisis, which any member of the downtown community or the cannabis community could tell you that we are already in the grips of,” said Barnett.
According to city officials, the amendment will cost the city $102,802 because an additional marijuana inspector will have to be hired to ensure businesses are complying with the license requirements. Councilor Anna Bullett, the sponsor of the amendment, noted that Portland would have had to hire an additional inspector anyway due to the fact that the current inspector is past their capacity for the almost 100 licensed marijuana businesses in the city.
“One of the things about changing something like legalizing cannabis in the entire state is that you kind of have to write new rules,” said Bullett. “And sometimes you have to change the rules that you wrote because new things happen; this is one of those circumstances.”
“]] The City is changing its code to allow cannabis shops to sell drinks like coffee that require preparation
