Cannabis Is Now Officially Maine’s Most Valuable Cash Crop

Picture yourself standing in the grocery store, and looking around at all the things that are grown for our consumption. Veggies, meats, cheeses, seafood, etc. And for a second, think about which one costs the most per pound. A quick trot around the store would yield lots of things worth $10 - $20 a pound.

But how many things can you find on the shelf at Hanny's that costs $2500 - $3000 a pound? Anything? You're going to need a different kind of store to find that crop. You'll need to seek out one of Maine's coveted businesses... a cannabis dispensary.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Maine's medical cannabis industry has skyrocketed. Especially during the pandemic. The industry is on pace to sell some $266 million worth of the special medicine. With people staying home more, and spending less money, it seems to have opened people's wallets up pretty wide.

And this is twice as much as in 2019, when Maine topped over $100 million, which was twice as much as they expected then too. And this is just because of the medical community. These numbers don't even account for the millions that will undoubtedly be added to that total next year from the newly liberated recreational buyers.

There are about 65,000 registered patients in Maine, with a little over 3000 caregivers supplying all that product. Or as a little quick math points out, that's about $4100 a year, per person! But lord knows, people have spent way more than that trying to manage symptoms of pain, insomnia, anxiety in their lifetimes.

At the end of the day, it's up to you how you spend your money. But it looks like Mainers are making it quite clear that they'd rather smoke weed every day than eat lobster or potatoes or blueberries every day. Granted, fisherman/farmers sell tenfold the weight of what cannabis caregivers do, but not for that kind of price.

It'll be curious to see what kids learn in school about this someday. But for now, history is being made as Maine shows where it's really spending it's money.