The State is Now Reimbursing Towns Up to $20k to Allow Rec. Cannabis

It still blows my mind that cannabis is legal in Maine.

When I was in high school, I remember all my stoner friends used to wax rhapsodic about how someday "weed will be legal for everyone, man..." in the most "political" tone they could muster. I always wondered, do you really care, or are you just annoyed that you love it and it's not legal and you wish it was?

But occasionally, I'm still kind of taken aback that it's actually happened. Well, at least at the state level. Who knows how long it'll actually take to become legal at the federal level. But here in Maine, we've been raking in big bucks in the form of taxes from the sale of cannabis. And now, the state wants to help towns make it even easier.

The state is willing to pay towns back, up to $20k, for expenses.

Crazy, right? I saw this post on Reddit that linked out to an article from Cannabis.net, talking about how Maine passed a law this spring that has just gone into effect. The new bill says Maine towns can either get back money they've already invested in allowing cannabis in their community, or get the money upfront to defray upcoming expenses.

Now, if you're wondering why the state would do this, it's simple. The more towns that participate in the program, the more tax money they'll bring in for all the various uses that cannabis taxes go to. More weed sales = more money in the state coffers.

Of course, not everyone is always a fan of all this. There are special interests on all sides that have a wide array of opinions. Like anything, you can't please all the people, all the time. But it's a smart move on the state's part to give up a little of that money coming in, if it can bring in a whole lot more.

Weed can also be pretty funny. Trust me... Keep scrolling for some laughs.