A few of our readers do not seem crazy about the recent proliferation of marijuana shops in Damariscotta, soon to be two medical and two recreational.
They may take some relief in the knowledge that when the last of these four shops open, Damariscotta will reach its regulatory cap for marijuana shops — although the ordinance allows for other types of marijuana businesses, like cultivation facilities.
And then? The market will decide whether Damariscotta can support four marijuana shops.
Damariscotta supports numerous purveyors of alcohol, so it would not surprise us to see all four shops survive and thrive — especially the recreational shops, which will attract business from throughout the county as long as other towns opt to stay “dry,” or whatever we are going to call towns that do not allow these businesses.
And yet a recent article in the Bangor Daily News suggests that high prices and supply problems in Maine’s brand-new recreational marijuana market will push marijuana enthusiasts to stay in the “black market,” where the product remains “much cheaper” and widely available.
For the most part, the weak-to-nonexistent resistance to these businesses throughout the regulatory process seems to reflect the “live and let live” ethos of Mainers, or at least a wait-and-see approach to our new neighbors.
We think the most important part of how our community responds to this new market is not how many businesses we allow, but how we educate our children about marijuana and whether adults use it responsibly or choose to endanger themselves and others by driving under the influence.
