The loudest threat to Maine’s adult-use cannabis market in years just went silent.
Mainers for a Safe and Healthy Future Inc., the prohibitionist group that spent months promising to “end the experiment” in 2026, missed the February 2 deadline to turn in signatures, the Maine Secretary of State’s office confirmed Tuesday. The proposed total ban on adult cannabis will not appear on the November 2026 ballot.
Deputy Secretary of State Jana Spaulding told Cannabis Business Times the office received zero cannabis petitions before Monday’s cutoff. Only one citizen initiative made it in time: the controversial Protect Girls Sports measure targeting transgender students.
The prohibitionists now have until June 8, 2027, to collect 67,682 valid signatures if they want voters to see their question in November 2027.
Why the Campaign Collapsed
Sources close to the effort say the group simply ran out of steam. Paid signature gatherers were pulled off the streets weeks ago, and volunteers never filled the gap. Multiple canvassers told Cannabis Business Times they were making $12 to $15 an hour, well below the $20-plus rates other 2026 campaigns were paying.
One former circulator, who asked not to be named because he still works political petitions, said the mood in the field turned grim by mid-January. “People were asking us what the initiative actually did, and when we explained it would close every dispensary and make their weed illegal again, they walked away. We weren’t hitting quotas.”
The campaign had loudly projected confidence into early winter, releasing polished videos featuring police officers and recovering addicts. But public fundraising totals never cracked six figures, a fraction of what successful Maine initiatives typically spend.
A Very Different Maine Than 2016
Maine voters legalized adult-use cannabis by a razor-thin 50.3 percent in 2016. That same electorate just delivered Kamala Harris her biggest margin of any state in 2024, 53 percent to 44 percent.
Adult-use sales began in October 2020 and have never looked back:
- 2021: $118 million
- 2022: $159 million
- 2023: $217 million
- 2024 (through December): $239 million and counting
The state collected more than $30 million in cannabis excise and sales taxes last year alone, money that flows straight into the general fund and has helped keep rural schools open and roads paved.
More than 3,200 Mainers now work directly in the legal cannabis industry, from trimmers in Washington County to lab technicians in Portland. Hundreds more grow hemp or work in ancillary businesses.
Trying to reverse legalization in 2026 would have meant telling those 3,200 workers and thousands of patients that their jobs and medicine were going away.
Industry Reaction: Relief Mixed With Caution
“This is the best news we’ve had in years,” said Andrew Tripp, co-owner of Sweet Dirt with stores in Waterville and Adult Use Cannabis in Thomaston. “We were genuinely scared. A yes vote would have put 150 people I employ out of work overnight.”
The Wellness Connection, Maine’s largest dispensary chain, sent a simple text to its loyalty members Tuesday afternoon: “We are staying open. Thank you for your support.”
But no one believes the threat is gone forever.
“These groups don’t quit,” said Becky DeKeuster, co-founder of the Maine Craft Cannabis Alliance. “They’ll be back in 2027 with better funding and a more sophisticated message. We have to keep organizing like every year is an election year.”
What Comes Next
The failed petition drive hands the industry something it has never truly had in Maine: breathing room.
Lawmakers in Augusta are already moving bills that would have been radioactive during a repeal campaign, including proposals to allow cannabis consumption lounges, expand the medical program, and let towns opt into retail without local ordinances.
For the first time since 2016, the loudest voices in the State House talking about cannabis are talking about growth, not rollback.
The prohibitionists have not issued a public statement since the deadline passed. Their website still promises voters will “have their say in 2026.”
Maria Garcia is an award-winning author who excels in creating engaging cannabis-centric articles that captivate audiences. Her versatile writing style allows her to cover a wide range of topics within the cannabis space, from advocacy and social justice to product reviews and lifestyle features. Maria’s dedication to promoting education and awareness about cannabis shines through in her thoughtfully curated content that resonates with both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
