The Maine supreme court has ruled that a lawsuit challenging Kittery’s licensing process for recreational cannabis stores can go forward.
High Maine LLC sued the town in October 2023, but the Superior Court dismissed the complaint, saying the company lacked standing. But the Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday disagreed, vacating the dismissal and sending the case back to the Superior Court to proceed.
The lawsuit argues the town’s lottery-style license system is flawed, and unfairly granted a license to GTF Kittery 8 — which submitted two store proposals that were later merged, and illegally proposed a location within 1,000 feet from a school or day care.
The supreme court found that High Maine was deprived of the opportunity to compete on equal footing for the license, and as such, has standing to file the lawsuit.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
