PART VII APPENDIX A STATE OF MAINE Departments of Administrative and Financial Services & Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry RESPONSE COVER PAGE RFI# 201707126 Rule-Making for Adult-Use Marijuana Policy Implementation Lead Point of Contact for Response - e- Name/Title: 1;-\a f\no.. --- V---1 )i i Respondent's Organization Name: \,„i\cmnt., 0 fess,0 nct(s _Ft -v_e_stA h Tel: E-mail: 207 253 - OS98 1 6MT% 101 Website (if applicable): Street Address: 89 Mckc no \ C1 SA +e Ofl0 City/State/Zip: 0 1 it LI State of Maine RFI# 201707126 Rev. 9/2/2016 Page 11 Submission in response to Request for Information (RFI) #201707126 to the Departments of Administrative and Financial Services & Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Public comment, in response to RFI #201707126, Section II - Information Sought, submitted by Hannah E. King, Esq. on behalf of Maine Professionals for Regulating Marijuana. My name is Hannah E. King. I am an attorney with the Maine law firm of Drummond Woodsum and a member of Drummond Woodsum’s regulated substance’s practice where I represent tribal clients across the country who are exploring entering the cannabis space, as well as entrepreneurs, landlords, municipalities, and investors in Maine on matters related to Maine’s medical and adult use marijuana programs. I am also an advisory board member of Maine Professionals for Regulating Marijuana (MPRM), a coalition of Maine professionals advocating for safety, quality, and transparency in the medical and adult use marijuana programs in Maine (for full advisory board membership, see attached). I offer the following comments, on behalf of MPRM, for your consideration as you develop the adult-use marijuana program in the state. Many states, and countries- including Canada-, use consultants with the experience to apply economic and policy analyses developed on traditional and modern techniques to produce efficient, robust, and safe marijuana markets for both medical and adult-use markets. Below are some of the leaders in this type of policy development. Marijuana Policy Group (MPG): dedicated to new market policy and analysis, MPG has collaborated with researchers to offer custom economic, market, financial, and policy research and consulting services for more than 40 years. MPG applies “research methods rooted in economic theory and statistical applications to inform regulatory policy decisions in the rapidly growing legal medical and recreational marijuana markets.” Members of the MPG team authored the Colorado Market Size and Demand Study in 2016, and have provided studies for Alaska, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, and other states for both medical and adult-use markets on a variety of issues, including estimating annual marijuana consumption, production management methods, and market supply channels. More information is available through MPG’s website. 1 Denver Relief Consulting (DRC): developed from a mission to develop quality marijuana operations and industry by advancing best practices, DRC creates custom advocacy and business strategies based on previously successful models in Colorado and other locations in North America. DRC focuses on “government collaboration, industry best practices, hyper-compliance, environmental stewardship, and community integration” to encourage responsible marijuana policy. More information is available through DRC’s website. Freedman & Koski: started in part by the Director of Marijuana Coordination in Colorado and the Director of the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division during the legalization of marijuana in that state, Freedman & Koski provides technical advice for both government and the private sector. As governments implement marijuana legalization, Freedman & Koski has offered initial policy suggestions, regulatory development, and budgetary advice. Experts from the company have provided testimony and briefings to eight states, including Maine before the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee, as well as to the US Congress, National Governors Association, and other organizations. More information is available through Freedman & Koski’s website. MPRM, with members from a wide variety of professional fields, see attached MPRM board member biographies, and Drummond Woodsum, who has, through its tribal, municipal, and regulated substances practices, developed a unique expertise in this area, are also local resources. Attachment: MPRM board member biographies, biography, Edward Kelleher, Esq., biography, Hannah E. King, Esq. 2 Attachment 1: MPRM Board Member Biographies Anne Krieg, AICP Anne Krieg, AICP, is the new Executive Director of the Mid-Coast Regional Planning Commission. For the previous 5 years, she was the Director of Planning, Economic and Community Development for the town of Bridgton, where she worked with the Planning Board on permitting needs for a medicinal cultivation operation, and had conducted research on allowances and limitations for local land use regulation of medicinal marijuana. She was also the Director of Planning and Development for the Town of Bar Harbor for 9 years. Anne has been an active member of the Maine Association of Planners (MAP) since 2003, was the recipient of the 2007 Plan of the Year Award for MAP, and was the Conference Chair for the 2015 Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference in Portland, Maine. She has presented at regional and national conferences, speaking on a wide range of planning and development topics. Before moving to Maine, Anne worked as the town planner in the towns of Reading and Danvers, Massachusetts and also worked in the private sector in campus and facility planning, environmental permitting, and site plan development. She is a graduate of the School of Landscape Architecture at the SUNY College of Environmental Science at Syracuse University, and has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 1997. Emile Clavet, Entrepreneur Emile Clavet is a lifelong Mainer, currently living on the coast of Harpswell. He Studied economics at the University of Southern Maine and American University and proceeded to become a talented financial advisory. With the “wealth” of knowledge he gained during the early years of his career, and with the support of family and friends, Emile branched into becoming, in his own words, a serial entrepreneur. Over the last 20+ years he has acquired or created businesses in hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, and energy sectors. In 2014 his energy company, Provider Power, became Inc. 500’s fastest growing energy company in the US. This success can be attributed to many bridges of growth along the way that contributed to his driving motivation to turn failures into opportunities and to learn from mistakes made. All his experiences with businesses, gadgets, people and innovation has led Emile to be a great learner as well as teacher. He actively engages with others to promote good ideas, personal growth, wealth management and sometimes even an interesting history lesson. His four grown children and wife can attest to his tireless enthusiasm for “try until you succeed” and “the key to personal success is to show up to the party.” More than succeeding at his own goals, Emile is proud that he has been able to contribute to the state of Maine’s economy by employing people with good jobs, encouraging others to embrace leadership skills 1 and innovating thinking, and giving back to the needs of his community. He volunteers his time on community boards, gives talks to motivate young entrepreneurs and even runs marathons occasionally. Emile is also a talented artist and plans to get back to his easel with more regularity when he decides capitalism can take a back seat. Pete DuFour Peter began his tax career in 2000 as an attorney at Hill & Barlow in Boston, where he focused his practice on mergers and acquisitions and tax planning for large corporations and high-net worth individuals. Following the dissolution of that firm in 2003, Peter moved back to his home state of Maine and accepted a position in the tax department at Macpage, LLC, where he later earned his CPA designation. In the twelve years he spent at Macpage, Peter had the opportunity to design and implement the firm’s paperless system, as well as serve as a Director and Chair of the tax department for many years. Prior to his career as a tax attorney and CPA, Peter served as a math teacher in the Peace Corps in Zimbabwe (1991-94), and later worked as a math teacher at Hebron Academy (1994-96). Peter, along with his co-founders Walker and Kelly, founded Dufour Tax Group, LLC on January 1st, 2015 with a sole mission to provide strategic and comprehensive tax planning and compliance services to businesses and individuals worldwide. Peter is a graduate of the University of Maine, with a B.S., with high distinction, in Applied Mathematics. He earned his dual Law degree, cum laude, and M.B.A. at Boston College. Marc Fishman Marc Fishman has 25 years’ experience as owner and operator of Fishman Realty Group, a division of Keller Williams Realty & KW Commercial working in all facets of commercial, investment & residential real estate sales & leasing. Marc has the experience and skills to analyze performing versus non- or underperforming properties. He has successfully negotiated over $200 million in commercial & investment sales and leases. Marc owns & manages commercial, mixed use investment properties and strongly believes in the principals of Cash on Cash – Return on Income. Marc specializes