THE COUNTY • August 22, 2023
As Maine’s vigorous cannabis scene explodes in retail markets, Aroostook County growers say the boom means more work for less money. Safe Alternatives of Caribou was the first medical marijuana shop on the East Coast when it opened in Frenchville in 2011. Now The County has nearly 20 medical and adult-use storefronts from the St. John Valley to Houlton. Medical and adult-use cannabis sales in Maine netted more than $460 million in 2022. That’s nearly double the $258 million potatoes brought in last year. Potatoes are still the state’s No. 1 food crop, with around 90 percent of them grown in northern Maine. But unlike potatoes, little of the state’s cannabis comes from The County.