Info on cannabis cultivation & cannabis jobs in Maine

Submitted by MikeLowrey305 t3_11ct1pu in Maine

I'm thinking about moving to Maine in the next few months to a year and would like to cultivate cannabis & or get into the industry. I know all the requirements from the state for growing & wanted to get a Tier 1 license for indoors as It's just me. But is it worth & enough of a demand to stay busy & make some decent money. Also I have to be a resident for 1 year before I can start cultivating so if anyone knows of some jobs in the industry that would be greatly appreciated. I have experience in all areas of growing & harvesting cannabis and also have my own genetics & strains. Any info & a push in the right direction would help.

Thanks.

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11feetWestofEast t1_ja4v3zo wrote

In my opinion the market is over saturated as is right now. I can think of atleast a dozen dispensers within 15 miles from me, and that's just the ones I've seen.

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cmcrich t1_ja4y4jy wrote

Right, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a cannabis shop here.

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FragilousSpectunkery t1_ja5k620 wrote

And if you miss a dispensary with that rock, there is a guy hiding in a bush ready to build a new dispensary in the emerging market you just located.

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Seyword t1_ja5cu66 wrote

Maine now has more weed shops than gas stations. 1/2 of them will be out of business in 2-3 years.

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78FANGIRL t1_ja64bso wrote

There's dozens of shops all over the place in Maine. It's an over saturated market. I grow myself, and rarely go to a shop. Honestly, you are a decade too late. Grow for yourself and friends and neighbors!

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja64o0d wrote

I appreciate the honesty! Thanks for info & heads up!

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shopgirl56 t1_ja91kd9 wrote

I just posted 2 articles under your question - the industry is booming and every municipality has a number that are allowed ' i.e. Rockland has 8 dispensaries- Portland has 40 - id look into b4 giving up - there are enough maine breweries in this state to put a brewery on main street of every single town - they did an article on it - no one says that is saturated (or maybe they do but ive not heard) id do a deep dive b4 you give up - appearances can be decieving

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AxelSteelflex t1_ja4wxto wrote

It’s who ya know. Not what ya offer.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja4xqef wrote

I'm gonna be spending some time up there in a few months, if you know of anyone or anywhere to send me to for some networking that would be greatly appreciated.

I might not know anyone there but everyone tells me my stuff is better than the dispensaries here. 💪🏼👍🏼

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cclambert95 t1_ja7b5d8 wrote

Pics or it didn’t happen, but Maine has some gooooood bud if you’re looking in the right spots and not franchised or corporate dispensaries.

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Tronbronson t1_ja4w653 wrote

Ya sure come on out dude 😂😂😂

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OppositeArugula8349 t1_ja5gy5e wrote

There are tons of jobs on indeed, unfortunately with the increased cost of electricity and the decreasing value of herb, tons of growers are getting weeded out.

Pun intended.

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Strebmal2019 t1_ja7ouvv wrote

Bad idea my guy, market is way oversaturated and energy costs are so high you’d be lucky to break even, especially since it sounds like you don’t have a network already set up to sell your product effectively. Dispensaries and brokers are going to scalp you and take all the profits you may have made 5-10 years ago as a grower. Maybe your best bet is to go to one of the best/biggest operations and try to get a Head Grower position, but unless your product is legitimately the best weed ever grown or if an owner of a company is desperate for a new grower (rare) that will be very difficult to pull off.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja7qmpg wrote

Thanks for your input! I don't want to jump in and put all my eggs in one basket with this. I hope to get a regular job & eventually build up customers.

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anode_cathode t1_ja7s2ze wrote

You've already had plenty of people paint a picture for you, but anyway, NH still hasn't legalized weed, and if I were looking to get into the market, I'd look at the potentially emerging one there over the completely oversaturated one here.

As for Maine, plenty of job postings if you want to see what the employment market is like (I'll save you some time, you're going to be working entry level unless you know someone). The cannabis industry is in the early stages of consolidation, so if you're not already in, you need to figure out an angle to get in other than, "i know how to grow weed."

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja7scyd wrote

Thanks I appreciate your info. I was pondering the same thing with NH because taxes are cheaper but still gonna have to wait & see. I'm sure alot of people from Maine & Vermont will jump ship to NH if they went legal.

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Squidworth89 t1_ja5o10o wrote

Low paying jobs working in the industry.

Unless you can produce with scale you’ll be struggling to keep up.

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tate_j t1_ja5wva6 wrote

Buyers market, average $500 a lb outdoor and $1400 a lb for immaculate indoor. Still not easy to sell at those prices. Also I believe they got rid of the residency requirements wait period.

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1kft t1_ja5elur wrote

r/mainetrees. r/MaineCannabis

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Unlikely_Star_4641 t1_ja7p8g6 wrote

I can think of 9 dispensaries (& I know I'm forgetting some) within a 10 mile radius of me, 5 of which being within <1 to 2 miles of each other on the same stretch of road. Just echoing everyone else. It's definitely nice being a few mins away from dispensaries in every direction as a consumer but idk how nice it'll be from a business standpoint lol

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zoolilba t1_ja73u59 wrote

I worked with a guy who spent a few weekends doing trimming for a local grower. It didn't sound great. Just hand trimming for hours over and over. He said they got lots of free smokes while they were working but that was the only good part. Very sticky and monotonous. The pay didn't sound great either. It might have been under the table. But it was just one place so idk.

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bellairecourt t1_ja7e9kt wrote

Times have changed, my friend. I was getting paid quite a bit more as a cannabis industry worker for the last 5 years. In 2022 our crew took a substantial pay cut. Even the best established growers are struggling with the flat wholesale prices and high cost of electricity. Cannabis industry cultivation jobs are still pretty competitive, there is interest. I’m seeing more turnover with employees however. It’s hard to live in Maine with what these jobs are paying now.

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farmingmaine t1_ja890ow wrote

I won’t be satisfied until there are dispensaries on the opposite corner from every Walgreens , CVS, and other drug stores. Then I will say we have enough.

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sage4wt t1_ja5atyf wrote

You’re gonna have to deal with a pot shop behind almost every telephone pole.

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shopgirl56 t1_ja90ror wrote

It might seem saturated but its booming - sales doubled - https://www.sunjournal.com/?p=10430843 https://www.centralmaine.com/?p=2855033

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja9gtl7 wrote

Thanks for the links. That's what I figured even though there's a shit ton of dispensaries, someone has to supply them with inventory. I don't want a dispensary, I just want to grow. But might consider one if cutting out the middle man is worth it.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja63rr7 wrote

Thanks for the info. 👍🏼🍻

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Mor_Ericks28 t1_ja9dwid wrote

I saw a shop with 40$ an oz advertised. You are too late but.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja9fgzr wrote

That's probably some half ass outdoor stuff, plus considering it's February it's probably old stuff from September.

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eliot_cutler t1_ja6dyv2 wrote

There’s like 8000 fucking weed places already but who knows. Would hate to discourage a drug dealer from moving here.

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vikingenvy t1_ja513h0 wrote

Please move somewhere. I’m getting tired of having to explain to my kids why so many people can’t get through the day without mind altering substances.

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sledbelly t1_ja53gd7 wrote

I know, smart phones, computers, televisions, they’re turning so many children into zombies. It’s insane how many I see stuck to a tablet. Something really needs to be done.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja7pfq6 wrote

What does this have to do with growing or consuming cannabis? Plenty of people who don't use cannabis are zombies stuck to their phone, computers or TV's.

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sledbelly t1_ja7weh6 wrote

Just pointing out the hypocrisy of mind altering substances only being relegated to cannabis bud, calm your tits

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Majestic-Feedback541 t1_ja5s8nd wrote

People that live here are growing/producing/smoking weed. As much as I dislike the newcomers, telling them not to move here won't decrease the amount of weed available or usage.

You really should only have to explain that to your kids once and revisit/answer questions as they grow more curious. I promise you, the legalization has little effect of the appeal of weed to minors. If that were the case, in the late 90s/early 2000s I would have never touched it when it was illegal. Kids will be kids, they'll experiment, just like you did when you were young (don't lie, weed, alcohol, drugs in general, we've all been there). We can only hope to teach our kids enough to make smart choices, and never drive while under the influence. It's kind of up to the kids to take in that lesson or learn the hard way.

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MikeLowrey305 OP t1_ja5v9ca wrote

Thanks for the Majestic-Feedback! LOL!

I'm just one person so it's not like I'm trying to exploit & corner the industry or anything. I just want to do something I love & I'm good at while making a decent living. Besides i'd be more worried about the people on prescription drugs & or alcohol!

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Majestic-Feedback541 t1_ja5wkvi wrote

No problem! People are so ignorant when it comes to weed anyways, they always have been. It just makes me hungry and tired, personally. Also relives some of my back pain. Allows me to feel the music and be less anxious.

I don't advocate to minors using it or driving around while high, but I'm not dumb enough to think neither of those happen, regardless of legalities and/or parental preferences. I mean, as a teen I smoked and drove around, part of being young and dumb. I can only hope my kiddo makes better choices than me. (Kiddos already against smoking so that's good. I do tell 'em the worst thing you can do is start we were discussing cigarettes, and thinks weed smells horrible- lots of growers about, it smells awfully skunky sometimes 😂)

And definitely prescription drugs and alcohol addictions are way worse!

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vikingenvy t1_ja6196f wrote

Marijuana addicts are so adorable

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sledbelly t1_ja7y9ke wrote

It’s cannabis

Marijuana is propaganda

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vikingenvy t1_ja7zubd wrote

Isn’t “cannabis” an intentional bit of rebranding and propaganda from the industry? I mean it cures everything and has no health or societal consequences. Amirite?

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sledbelly t1_ja8fmi3 wrote

No, marijuana was propaganda, racist propaganda if we’re being specific.

You should really educate yourself on cannabis if you’re educating anyone else on it. Otherwise, you’re just speaking to your children from a place of ignorance.

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