# Maine LD 1609: An Act Regarding Background Checks for Medical Cannabis Providers Maine LD 1609, An Act Regarding Background Checks for Medical Cannabis Providers, is a 132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Ann Fredericks (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-03 (Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 611); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1609-132 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Maine LD 1609 - State: Maine - Session: 132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026) - Title: An Act Regarding Background Checks for Medical Cannabis Providers - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-04-11 - Last action: 2026-04-03, Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 611 - Sponsor: Ann Fredericks (Republican) - Cosponsors: 6 - Subjects: CANNABIS, CANNABIS - ADULT USE AND MEDICAL CANNABIS - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Business officers must pass background checks: cost, high. If your business applies for a medical cannabis registration certificate, every officer and director must pass a criminal history check. List each officer’s name, address, and date of birth in the application. The Department cannot issue the certificate if any officer or director has a disqualifyin… - Annual checks for cannabis manufacturing staff: cost, low. If you work at a registered manufacturing facility or perform certain extraction work, the Department checks your criminal history every year. A disqualifying drug conviction blocks a registry identification card. - Long-term care staff must pass checks: cost, low. A long-term care facility that helps a qualifying patient with medical cannabis must register. Any staff who will assist must be at least 21 and pass a criminal history check. Staff with a disqualifying drug conviction cannot assist. The facility and its staff may not cultivate plants for the patie… - Testing labs need checks to handle samples: cost, low. A cannabis testing facility can receive and keep samples only if it follows the rules and passes a criminal history check. This covers samples from patients, caregivers, dispensaries, and manufacturing facilities. - New background checks for cannabis applicants: mixed, low. Effective April 3, 2026, Maine runs a standard background-check program for the medical cannabis system. Applicants, registrants, and registrant agents must be fingerprinted and checked against state and FBI records. Checks are valid for two years and generally repeat every two years. Assistants ar… - School caregivers checked; parents exempt: mixed, low. If you are the caregiver designated to give medical cannabis at school, the Department checks your criminal history. Parents, legal guardians, and a person with legal custody are exempt from the check. A disqualifying drug conviction, or a result that would block approvals under school laws, stops… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Ann Fredericks (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Chad Perkins (Republican), House - Cosponsor: David Boyer (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Donald Ardell (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Trey L. Stewart (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Michael Soboleski (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Rachel Henderson (Republican), House ## Actions (7) - 2026-04-03: Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 611 - 2026-03-30: PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence. (Senate) - 2026-03-26: PASSED TO BE ENACTED. Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. (House) - 2026-03-25: Report READ and ACCEPTED, in concurrence.READ ONCE.Committee Amendment "A" (H-874) READ and ADOPTED, in concurrence.Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (H-874), in concurrence.Ordered sent down forthwith. (Senate) - 2026-03-24: CONSENT CALENDAR - FIRST DAYUnder suspension of the rules CONSENT CALENDAR - SECOND DAY.The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-874).Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. (House) - 2025-06-25: Carried over, in the same posture, to any special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 800. (House) - 2025-04-11: Received by the Clerk of the House on April 11, 2025.The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on VETERANS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. (House) ## Bill text - Amendment C-A (H-874), adopted by House & Senate: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=2&snum=132) - Enacted: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=3&snum=132) - Introduced: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=1&snum=132) ## Related bills - LD 1522: An Act to Establish the Maine Eviction Prevention Program (failed) - LD 1665: An Act to Provide Property Tax Relief to Maine Families (failed) - LD 1872: An Act to Reinvest in the Pension Funds of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (failed) - LD 2067: An Act to Include Community Mental Health Workers Under the 1998 Special Plan for Retirement (failed) - LD 1611: An Act to Decrease the Retirement Contributions Required for Teachers and State Employees (failed) - LD 1294: An Act to Expand the Dependent Exemption Tax Credit (failed) ## Sources - [Amendment C-A (H-874), adopted by House & Senate (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=2&snum=132) - [Enacted (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=3&snum=132) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1063&item=1&snum=132) ## Related - [LD 1522: An Act to Establish the Maine Eviction Prevention Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1522-132) - [LD 1665: An Act to Provide Property Tax Relief to Maine Families](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1665-132) - [LD 1872: An Act to Reinvest in the Pension Funds of the Maine Public Employees Retiremen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1872-132) - [LD 2067: An Act to Include Community Mental Health Workers Under the 1998 Special Plan f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD2067-132) - [LD 1611: An Act to Decrease the Retirement Contributions Required for Teachers and State…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1611-132) - [LD 1294: An Act to Expand the Dependent Exemption Tax Credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1294-132) - [Maine bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maine/bills) - [Maine state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maine) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1609-132 (as of 2026-10-17).