Maine’s chief cannabis regulator said Wednesday that the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is aware that it’s been issuing licenses to individuals associated with transnational organized crime.
However, the agency lacks the authority to deny licenses to those who apply for medicinal cultivation licenses even when the applicant was previously linked by law enforcement to illicit cannabis activity, said OCP Director John Hudak.
At a hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee (VLA), Director Hudak attempted to address concerns about the hundreds of illegal cannabis cultivation operations in mostly rural Maine that are controlled by Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (ATCOs).
“We know that these networks are sophisticated and well-funded,” Hudak said. “They rely on complex schemes to establish illegal grows under the radar of enforcement agencies.”
Hudak confirmed that intelligence and enforcement efforts had identified connections to international criminal enterprises.
“Our enforcement partners have seen clear patterns that align with activity tied to transnational criminal organizations,” Hudak explained. “These groups are exploiting Maine’s medical and recreational cannabis systems for illicit gain, and we are working tirelessly to close those gaps.”
Hudak, a Brookings Institution fellow and the founder of Freedman & Koski, said Maine’s statutes don’t give him the effective tools to crackdown on the illegal grows. As he has told the Maine Wire, purely illegal grows don’t fall within the jurisdiction of OCP.
The director also admitted for the first time that individuals linked to marijuana grows that have previously been raided by law enforcement are applying for medicinal licenses as a form of protection or cover. He also said that OCP is giving licenses to individuals even when they disclose that they’ll be growing cannabis in a facility previously raided by law enforcement.
“I do believe that, in some of these cases, individuals who are getting arrested in connection with these search warrants, or addresses that are connected to these search warrants — they are not applying to our medical program to come out of the shadows and into the light,” said Hudak.
“They’re applying so they can have a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card, or what they perceive as a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card to continue to do the operations that they’re doing. Which, by and large, is directing product out of state as well,” he said.
Once an individual previously associated with transnational organized crime obtains a medicinal license from Hudak’s agency, it becomes almost impossible for local police or county sheriffs to take enforcement steps against them, even instances where it’s clear the illegal activity has continued.
Hudak has seldom talked about the illegal Chinese marijuana grows and has never publicly acknowledged that the vast majority of large-scale illegal marijuana trafficking arrests in Maine have involved individuals of Chinese descent, including both legal and illegal Chinese immigrants.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo that leaked in 2023, the networks Hudak now admits he’s giving medicinal licenses to have financial ties back to mainland China.
Hudak disclosed that OCP is at least attempting to track internally all the instances in which the agency gives medicinal marijuana licenses to locations or individuals previously linked to illegal drug trafficking and organized crime.
“We do have some internal processes that we have tried to implement to at least identify when individuals are applying to enter the program from addresses that were previously associated with a search warrant that gives us some visibility about what might be going on,” he said.
In addition to the sprawling network of transnational criminal organizations that has sprung up in Maine on his watch, Hudak also voiced concerns about “decorum.”
According to Hudak, sexual harassment and violent threats from cannabis industry participants, including threats directed at him, have become a big problem for OCP and Maine cannabis generally.
Although he told the committee that he was tough enough to deal with “nasty commentary,” he wouldn’t tolerate harassment of his staff.
When Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) asked whether any of the alleged conduct had resulted in criminal charges, Hudak admitted that it had not.
“The times that we are in, unfortunately, are murderous,” Hickman said.
“ Mean people are calling my staff nasty names “
WHO is this clown and how much are our tax dollars paying HIM to get his poor feelings hurt .?
THIS is so typical of the cry baby ….my hands are tied …I’m doing the peoples will …..bureaucrat speak that continues to come from Augusta . IF YOU ASSHOLES CANT REGULATE IT …..then make the Chinamen stop selling it ….
Cry Baby…..Grow some Balls !
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Mills won’t let anyone under her authority do anything.
Why anyone would buy any cannabis-related product from a licensed vendor is risking ingesting who-knows-what! Bad enough Maine is being forced to be a ‘sanctuary’ state, now. If Grovelnor Mills won’t do anything about Asian gangs being hear illegally and poisoning all cannabis products they sell to AMERICANS, she needs to be re-called.
Nuremberg 2.0 is on the horizon.
This is typical of the crap that comes out of Augusta. Half-baked legislation without a consideration of the consequences or problems it creates.
What is new, birds of a Fether sick together. Right Janit.
Just like the PUC cannot finger high electric users. Our law maker dumb!!!!
Better call TRUMP in and get the job done.
John Hudak of OCP says they are working tirelessly to close the illegal gap between the recreational and medicinal
certification process. John Hudak says we are in murderous times. That’s right, what are you doing about public safety Janet?
Hudac’s on first Whats on second and I dont know is on third. Tell me where is Janet ?
THEY’RE USING POISON as pesticides!
Homeland Security needs to shut them down!
So the Mills administration has failed yet again. They claim their hands are tied. I want to know what kickbacks the Chinese are giving these morons that are running the Maine cannabis industry. The excuses they make are beyond ridiculous and make cannabis potentially harmful for the people smoking and ingesting possible harmful pesticides.
“However, the agency lacks the authority to deny licenses to those who apply for medicinal cultivation licenses even when the applicant was previously linked by law enforcement to illicit cannabis activity, said OCP Director John Hudak.”
COWPIES! To quote FJB, “lying dog faced pony solder.” Johnny baby you could have denied the permit, let them sue you, and the AG’s office would have had a simple win. Just another hack sucking the money out of the taxpayer and doing nothing for it. How many bank accounts do you have stuffed with yen Director Hudak? $#!+bag
“The times that we are in, unfortunately, are murderous,” Hickman said. And we all know why.
This is B/S, anyone with a felony conviction cannot get or hold a business license in many fields in the State of Maine. Example, no one can get a new car dealer license if they are a felon.
Medicinal pot grown with every neuro toxic chemical ingredient , falling in line with pharma…..
Isn’t the ultimate “Maine China Pot Czar” Janet Hitler Mills?
What could be sleazier than letting hostile foreigners exploit this beautiful state? Mills and crew need to get hided to a barn door.
Outrageous.
It’s time for maine people to take over our distugustingly incompetent government. If we’re living in murderous times Mr hudak , it’s because of people like you and the people who hired you to let the murderous scum illegally into our state and fund them with licenses, healthcare, food, and places to live on OUR TAX DIME!!!!! and than, turn around and INCREASE TAXES ,FEES & LICENSES ON EVERYTHING we , MAINERS BUY & use . AĹL OF YOU PEOPLE IN CONTROL OF OUR GOVT ARE SCUM.
Money Talks: On these pages Mills’s Brother has been called out as working as a lawyer for at least one of these illegal pot grows that provide their $hit to both Maine youth and other youth all over the U S of A. And now, someone who works in her administration, John Dildo, tells us that there is nothing he can do about the illegal Chinese grows. Likely there is nothing she allows him to do.
Does Hudak inform authorities after issuing a license to Chinese mafia or to other non-Chinese criminals, if there are any?
The only way to get rid of these ILLEGAL CHINESE MARIJUANA GROWS is to RECALL the GOVERNOR! Has anyone checked to see how much money the Mills family has made off these illegal grow farms? Janet and her two brothers are up to their necks in all of this! Recall all democrats in state government and the state legislature! Start RECALL PETITIONS!
So the State of Maine is licensing Chinese Triad Gangs to grow pot USING EPA BANNED FUNGICIDES AND PESTICIDES that are banned from use in the USA ?
How INCOMPETENT can we be ?
What a bunch of stupid rubes we really are !
Thanks Maine Wire for telling us what no other “ news” agency in Maine will even admit !
Priceless .
She said she would not raise taxes and poof she did
This is all just a fake news joke, right?
Really hurt feelings? What are you going to do if you get Constipated to? Call Hunter ?
Really nobody cares about your sissy feelings!
INVEST IN DEPORTATION JANET!!