Kittery's new prospective pot shop owner is known for pushing town to allow them
KITTERY, Maine — Josh Seymour, who helped lead the successful push to allow retail marijuana shops in town, is now working toward opening one of his own.
Seymour, owner of North Berwick medical marijuana company Green Truck Farms, hopes to open the second adult-use pot shop in Kittery. Seymour is applying for a license after one of the winners of Kittery's 2021 pot shop lottery bowed out of the process, creating an opportunity for him, according to a town official.
"We're incredibly grateful and excited," Seymour said. "This is something our team has been working hard on for a long time, and we look forward to working with Kittery through this application process."
In late 2020, Seymour circulated a petition urging Kittery officials to allow retail marijuana establishments, collecting nearly 500 signatures.
After Kittery approved marijuana shops, the town’s October 2021 lottery received 700-plus applications, each at a cost of $750 for a random chance to be selected to open one of three shop locations available. Some business owners bought hundreds of entries.
Where is Seymour looking to open pot shop?
Kearsten Metz, Kittery's town code enforcement officer, said Seymour has submitted an application for a license to open a recreational marijuana retail store at 89 Rt. 236. His business, Green Truck Farms, established in 2015, formerly had a boutique shop on the property.
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The Route 236 property where Seymour plans to open his business, also has an adjacent Aroma Joe’s Coffee and storage space, Metz said.
Brandon Pollock, co-founder and chief executive officer of Theory Wellness, a medical and recreational cannabis company with locations in Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, had been the lottery winner for the Commercial 2 zone pot shop license on Route 236.
Metz said Pollock withdrew his application in the winter without giving a reason. Seymour, a former Kittery Town Council candidate, was next in line, according to Metz.
What's next and what's status of pot businesses?
Seymour needs land-use approval from the Kittery Planning Board in order to obtain a business operating license.
Theory Wellness, after Nick Friedman’s successful application in the Commercial 1 zone, opened its town store at the Kittery Outlets in October. Friedman is Pollock's former college roommate and current business partner. Pollock did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy recently reported that in February, adult-use marijuana transactions in the state totaled almost $14.5 million.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery ME marijuana shop: Josh Seymour seeks to open on Route 236
