Maine approved medical marijuana in 1999, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the state’s medical marijuana industry took its first steps. Between 1999 and 2009, Maine allowed use of medical marijuana, but didn’t provide for safe access. The changes made in 2009 resulted in then Governor Baldacci signing an Executive Order which created the Committee on the Implementation of the Maine Medical Marijuana Act. Zoom forward to now, and there are eight medical marijuana dispensaries in the State of Maine.
Half of those dispensaries are ran by Wellness Connection of Maine. The CEO of Wellness of Maine is Patricia Rosi. Patricia has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Overseeing half of an entire states safe access is not an easy thing to do. But she does it well. One of the things that impresses me most about Patricia Rosi, and Wellness of Maine, is the way they represent the industry within the communities in which they operate. Good neighbor relations are vital to the success of the cannabis industry, in Maine and beyond.
In late 2014 Wellness Connection of Maine renovated a historic building in Gardiner, Maine that had been vacant for over a decade. The building is a 103 year old former train station. The community was delighted to see it back in use, which is not always the case when the new tenant is a cannabis business. But that wasn’t the case with Wellness Connection of Maine. Per Central Maine:
“This is all about compassion,” Mayor Thomas Harnett said at the ceremony. “This is about making medical marijuana available to persons who are suffering from debilitating diseases that simply do not respond to more traditional forms of medicine. I am happy that we are able to do that in our community, and I’m confident that we have a new member of our community that we’re going to be proud of.”
The building, which was built in 1911, has been vacant since 2003, when the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Gardiner moved to the former elementary school on Pray Street.
When a mayor is glad to have you in their town, you know your business is doing something right. Wellness Connection of Maine, and specifically Patricia Rosi, are good ambassadors of America’s fastest growing industry, which is something that every aspiring cannabis entrepreneur can learn from. You can hear Patricia Rosi speak at the 2015 Spring Marijuana Business Conference and Expo in Chicago, hosted by Marijuana Business Daily. Click on the banner below to find out more about the event:
The experience that Patricia Rosi has to draw from will no doubt make for a tremendous educational opportunity for anyone that can hear her speak. I can’t wait to hear about what she has to say about the future of the cannabis industry in Maine. Maine is on the cusp of legalizing recreational marijuana. You can learn more about Wellness Connection of Maine on Facebook, and at the Wellness Connection of Maine website.
