Kara Thorvaldsen (Partner-Boston) was quoted in “Legal Battles Over Maine Residency Rule Ripple Through Cannabis Marketplace,” an article that appeared in the June 5, 2020, edition of Benzinga. Businesses sued Maine to enforce its residency rule, requiring adult-use cannabis business license holders to have at least four years of in-state residency. The state Office of Marijuana Policy had announced it would not enforce the rule, citing constitutional challenges raised by a Maine dispensary. Kara expressed a "certain amount of sympathy" for local operators. Such small operators would face "stiff competition" from MSOs if allowed into the market, she said. "Allowing out-of-state interests to come into the market is also highly likely to put a damper on any attempt to foster social equity in the market." Thorvaldsen said she believes that the law would be upheld given the current intrastate nature of state legal cannabis. "I do not believe that a federal court would be willing to rule on the question of whether a law barring out-of-state residents from participating in an industry that is prohibited at the federal level is constitutional."

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