The Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is the state agency responsible for regulating all aspects of Maine's cannabis industry — both the adult-use market established under Title 28-B and the medical program under Title 22, Chapter 558-C. Housed within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), the OCP handles licensing, compliance, rulemaking, and enforcement for one of the most complex cannabis ecosystems in the country.
Leadership and Structure
The OCP is led by a Director and supported by two Deputy Directors with distinct operational portfolios:
| Position | Name | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Director | John Hudak, Ph.D. | Overall agency leadership, policy, and strategy |
| Deputy Director, Operations | Vern Malloch | Licensing, compliance, inspections, and enforcement |
| Deputy Director, Strategic Initiatives | Lisa Roberts | Policy development, legislative coordination, and stakeholder engagement |
Director John Hudak assumed leadership after the departure of previous Director Erik Gundersen in October 2022. Hudak, who holds a Ph.D. and brings a background in cannabis policy research, has emphasized data-driven regulation and stakeholder transparency since taking office.
How the OCP Was Created
The OCP was established in February 2019 under Governor Janet Mills, who took office after the term-limited departure of Governor Paul LePage. The creation of the OCP reflected a fundamental shift in the state's approach to cannabis: where LePage had vetoed implementation legislation and resisted the voter-approved legalization measure, Mills embraced it.
Prior to the OCP, cannabis regulation was fragmented across multiple state agencies. The OCP consolidated oversight into a single office, streamlining the licensing process and providing a clear point of contact for the industry, municipalities, and the public.
Scope of Authority
The OCP's regulatory authority spans the full breadth of Maine's cannabis system:
Adult-Use (Title 28-B)
- Licensing for cultivation (tiers 1–4), manufacturing, retail, testing, and sample collection
- Compliance inspections — both scheduled and unannounced
- Enforcement actions including fines, suspensions, and license revocations
- Seed-to-sale tracking through the Metrc system
- Rulemaking for product safety, packaging, labeling, and advertising
Medical (Title 22, Chapter 558-C)
- Caregiver and dispensary registration
- Patient certification oversight
- Medical program policy development
- Reciprocity administration for out-of-state patients (29 states + DC)
Municipal Coordination
- Assisting municipalities with cannabis ordinance development
- Processing municipal opt-in/opt-out notifications
- Coordinating local and state licensing requirements
OCP By the Numbers
The Metrc Controversy
One of the most contentious aspects of OCP operations has been the state's contract with Metrc, the seed-to-sale cannabis tracking system used in the adult-use program. The controversy has several dimensions:
- Sole-source contracting: Critics have questioned the process by which Metrc was selected as the state's tracking vendor, arguing that a competitive bidding process would have produced better outcomes for licensees and taxpayers.
- Cost burden on licensees: Metrc fees are borne by cannabis businesses, adding to the already significant compliance costs of operating in the regulated market. Small-scale cultivators and manufacturers have been particularly vocal about the financial impact.
- System reliability: Licensees have reported technical issues with the Metrc platform, including data entry problems, system outages, and user interface challenges that disrupt business operations.
- Medical exemption: The medical caregiver system is not subject to Metrc tracking — a point of contention in the broader debate about regulatory parity between the adult-use and medical markets.
The OCP has acknowledged the concerns and has engaged with Metrc and licensees to address technical issues, but the fundamental questions about vendor selection and cost remain active topics in the legislature and the industry.
Contact the OCP
| Address | 19 Union Street, Augusta, ME 04330 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (207) 287-3282 |
| Licensing | Licensing.OCP@maine.gov |
| Compliance | Compliance.OCP@maine.gov |
| Website | maine.gov/dafs/ocp |
Challenges and Priorities
The OCP faces several ongoing challenges as Maine's cannabis market matures:
- Caregiver regulation. The tension between the largely unregulated medical caregiver market and the fully regulated adult-use market remains the most significant policy issue. A 2023 OCP study found that 42–45% of medical samples would fail adult-use testing standards for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals.
- Medical testing (LD 1847). The question of whether to require mandatory testing for caregiver products generated over 1,000 opposing testimonies, making it one of the most contentious cannabis bills in Maine history.
- Market maturation. With adult-use sales growth slowing to just 1% in 2025 and average prices down 28%, the OCP must balance consumer access with industry sustainability.
- Municipal coordination. Navigating the patchwork of local cannabis ordinances across Maine's hundreds of municipalities remains an ongoing operational challenge.
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