Marijuana Business Magazine May-June 2020

May-June 2020 | mjbizdaily.com 35 Louisiana The medical marijuana supply chain in Louisiana is exempt from closure under a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards. Businesses allowed to remain open “will need to reduce operations to continue with minimum contact with members of the public and only essential employees, while requiring proper social distancing,” according to the order issued March 13. Maine The long-awaited launch of the state’s recreational marijuana market could be delayed beyond June because of the coronavirus. “Several communities preparing for local authorization and to opt-in for adult use—most notably those that serve as hosts to our prospective marijuana testing facilities—may have to postpone those actions due to the effects of COVID-19,” the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) said in a memo. The agency added that it “would be abdicating its responsibility as a regulator” if it attempted to launch a program“contrary to the social-distancing guidance” to combat the pandemic. Meanwhile, the OMP said it would continue licensing new businesses for the state’s adult-use marijuana program. Maine voters legalized adult-use sales in 2016.