Maine's House of Representatives voted 108-35 on Monday to adopt the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee's recommendation to kill LD 1365, a bill that would have authorized cannabis hospitality lounges across the state. The measure was sponsored by Rep. David Boyer (R).
Boyer, a former Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) staffer who helped lead Maine's 2016 cannabis legalization ballot campaign, was sharply critical. "Maine lawmakers showed their contempt for voters today by killing the cannabis hospitality lounge bill," he said. He noted his party was "about split" while the "vast majority" of Democrats opposed the bill. Among Democrats, 65 backed the committee's motion to kill the legislation and only 7 opposed it; among Republicans, 28 voted against the killing while 41 supported it.
Boyer tied the bill to the 2016 citizen initiative, parts of which were later negotiated out by the legislature's Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee. "This was a core provision of the 2016 citizens initiative that Maine voters approved nearly ten years ago to legalize adult-use cannabis and create safe, regulated social consumption spaces," he said. "There is no good reason to prohibit cannabis hospitality lounges when we allow adults to consume alcohol in public," Boyer added. "It's time uphold the will of the voters and let adults be adults."
Under LD 1365, municipalities could have licensed hospitality lounges for adults 21 and older, with local officials empowered to set fees. Licensed facilities would not have required further approval from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy or other state agencies.
Separately, a Maine campaign seeking to roll back the state's marijuana law missed its signature deadline for the November 2026 ballot, pushing any potential referendum to 2027. If passed, that initiative would end regulated adult-use cannabis sales while keeping possession of up to 2.5 ounces legal; personal plant cultivation and licensed store purchases would both be eliminated. The campaign has drawn criticism from reform advocates, industry stakeholders, and some lawmakers over allegedly misleading signature-gathering tactics.
