Quick answer: Yes. Under Maine statute Title 28-B, section 1502, every adult 21 or older can grow up to 6 mature (flowering) cannabis plants, 12 immature plants and an unlimited number of seedlings for personal use. The limit is per person, not per house. Plants must be tagged, kept out of view from any public way and secured from anyone under 21, and you can keep everything they produce at home.
Maine is about as generous as legal states get on home growing. Your town can't ban it, can't charge you a fee for it and can't zone it into one corner of the map. The rules that trip people up are small ones: a plant tag, a fence line, a clause in a lease.
How many cannabis plants can you grow in Maine?
Each adult 21 or older may grow 6 mature plants, 12 immature plants and unlimited seedlings, per 28-B M.R.S. §1502(1). The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) repeats them in its FAQ.
The definitions in 28-B M.R.S. §102-A do more work than people expect:
- Mature plant: any plant that is flowering. Height doesn't matter.
- Seedling: a plant or rooted cutting that isn't flowering and is under 24 inches tall and under 24 inches wide. A fresh clone is a seedling in the eyes of the law.
- Immature plant: everything else. In practice, a vegetative plant that has outgrown the 24-inch box.
So the real limit is six flowering plants. Start plenty of seeds and cull to your best six before they flip.
Is the limit per person or per household?
Per person. Two adults who both live at the same address can each grow six mature plants, twelve in total. Towns may cap mature plants per parcel, but under §1502(3)(A) any cap must still allow the full 6, 12 and unlimited for each adult 21+ who lives there. An ordinance can stop your cousin parking his plants in your garden. It can't touch your own six.
Maine home grow rules at a glance
The table we'd tape inside a garden shed.
| Rule | What Maine law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Adults 21+, for personal adult use | 28-B M.R.S. §1502 |
| How many | 6 mature, 12 immature, unlimited seedlings per person | §1502(1) |
| Where | Land you live on, land you own, or someone else's land with written permission | §1502(1)(A) to (C) |
| Multiple sites | Allowed, within your total plant count | §1502(1) |
| Out of sight | Not visible from a public way without aircraft or optical aids | §1502(2)(A) |
| Security | Reasonable precautions against access by anyone under 21 | §1502(2)(B) |
| Plant tags | Name, license or ID number, personal adult use notation, landowner's name if not your land | §1502(2)(C) |
| Local rules | Towns can cap plants per parcel but can't ban, zone out or charge a fee | §1502(3) |
| Your harvest | Keep all of it at home or where it was grown | §1501(1)(E) |
| Extraction | No butane, propane or other flammable solvents | §1503 |
One detail most guides skip: under §1505, the OCP can't enforce the home grow chapter. Police do.
Where are you allowed to grow?
On land where you live, on land you own but don't live on, or on someone else's land if the owner agrees in writing. Since a 2023 amendment, the statute also says you can split your plants across more than one site, as long as the total stays within your limit.
A handshake with the farmer down the road isn't enough. Get it on paper, and add the landowner's name to each tag.
Can you grow for someone else?
Not under the adult-use rules. Section 1502 covers cultivation "for personal adult use": your plants, under your tag, for you. Growing on behalf of other people is what registered caregivers do under Maine's medical program, Title 22, chapter 558-C. Our piece on whether you need a medical card in Maine explains how the two programs differ.
What does "not visible from a public way" mean?
Nobody on a public road or sidewalk should be able to see your plants with the naked eye. Drones and binoculars don't count against you. A plant poking over a low picket fence by the street does.
A solid fence or a shaded greenhouse works. Pots on a front porch in Munjoy Hill don't.
What counts as securing your plants?
The law asks for "reasonable precautions" against access by anyone under 21 and doesn't name a lock type. A locked tent or closet indoors, a latched gate outdoors and a secured drying space are all sensible readings. Most of the ideas in 5 ways to safeguard your stash from curious kids apply to a drying rack too.
How do you tag a cannabis plant in Maine?
Every mature and immature plant needs a legible tag with your name, your driver's license or state ID number, and a note that it's grown for personal adult use as authorized by law. Seedlings are exempt. The OCP's own example ends with "Personal Adult Use: Title 28-B, Section 1502."
Use a waterproof garden stake. Sharpie on masking tape lasts about one Maine rainstorm.
Can you buy cannabis seeds and clones legally in Maine?
Yes. Licensed adult-use stores may sell immature plants and seedlings, and the OCP confirms stores may deliver seeds as well. Under §1501(1)(G), adults 21+ can buy up to 12 immature plants or seedlings from a licensed store or a licensed nursery cultivation facility.
The store side has limits, set out in §504(2):
- No selling mature (flowering) plants, so expect young clones and seedlings.
- No giving plants away, so "free clone with purchase" isn't allowed.
- Every purchase counts against your personal plant limit.
You'll also see seeds shipped from online sellers as hemp. The legal footing there is less tidy than those sellers suggest, and we haven't found a Maine source that settles it. If a local licensed option exists, use it.
Can you give cannabis plants or homegrown weed to a friend?
Yes, with no money involved. Under §1501(1)(C) and (D), adults 21+ may give another adult up to 6 immature plants or seedlings, or up to 2 1/2 ounces of cannabis with no more than 10 grams of concentrate, "without remuneration."
The statute defines remuneration to include a "donation." Gas money tied to the handoff turns a gift into an unlicensed sale.
How much homegrown cannabis can you keep?
At home, all of it. Section 1501(1)(E) lets you possess everything your legal plants produce at your residence or where it was grown. Leave the house and the 2 1/2 ounce limit applies, as covered in our guide to Maine cannabis possession and purchase limits.
Big harvests usually end up in the kitchen, with our cannabutter recipe and the explainer on decarboxylation. Skip the butane. Home solvent extraction is banned under §1503 and it's a real fire risk. For dabs, our rundown of cannabis concentrates points to the licensed versions.
Can renters grow cannabis in Maine?
Often, but your lease decides. State law lets you grow where you live, apartment included, but it doesn't override a lease. The OCP notes that property owners can prohibit cannabis use and possession on their premises, so a no-cultivation clause is enforceable like any other lease term.
- Read the lease for anything on cannabis, smoking, "illegal activity" or alterations like wiring and ventilation.
- If it's silent, ask for written permission. That also protects you if the building is sold.
- Indoors, discuss power and humidity. Landlords fear mold and fire more than plants.
What about condos, HOAs and subsidized housing?
Condo and homeowner associations can restrict growing through their declarations and bylaws, so read them first. Federally assisted housing follows federal law, under which cannabis is still illegal. If you're in subsidized housing, don't grow.
A first outdoor grow in Maine: a beginner's checklist
Maine's season is short and it ends wet. Published frost tables for the Portland Jetport put the average last spring frost in late April and the first fall frost around mid-October. Those are coin-flip averages, inland runs colder, and cannabis wants warm nights, not merely frost-free ones.
- Pick early finishers. A strain that needs late October will be sitting in cold rain when it matters. Look at autoflowers or early genetics, and ask the clone seller when that cut finishes outdoors.
- Start inside, plant out late. Many Maine growers start in April and move plants out in late May or early June.
- Chase sun. Six to eight hours of direct light. A south-facing spot behind a solid fence solves light and visibility at once.
- Give them air. Space plants for wind and thin crowded growth by midsummer.
- Watch for bud rot from September. Coastal fog and heavy dew are what gray mold loves. Check dense colas daily, cut out anything brown or mushy, and harvest a few days early if a long wet stretch is coming.
- Tag on planting day.
- Plan a drying space. Dark, ventilated and locked, ready right when the weather turns.
This isn't medical advice. If you're growing for a health reason, talk to a healthcare provider.
What home growers ask us on St John Street
Plenty of home growers shop at our Portland store at 327 St John St while a first harvest ripens. Our Cannabis Guides will talk plant counts and tag wording, and point you to shelf flower resembling what you plan to grow, so you can taste it first. Plant and seed stock at any Maine store comes and goes, ours included, so call (207) 805-1644 before a clone run.
Two things we won't help with: taking homegrown across a state line (see Maine cannabis laws for tourists) and smoking it in public (see where you can smoke weed in Maine).
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to grow cannabis at home in Maine?
Yes. Adults 21 and older may grow cannabis at home for personal use under Title 28-B, section 1502: up to 6 mature plants, 12 immature plants and unlimited seedlings. Towns can't ban home growing or charge a fee, though they may cap plants per parcel if each resident adult keeps their full allowance.
How many cannabis plants can two adults grow in one Maine home?
Two adults 21 or older who both live there can each grow 6 mature, 12 immature and unlimited seedlings, so 12 flowering plants on the property. The limit is per person, and any town cap per parcel must still allow the full count for every resident adult 21+.
Do I need a license to grow cannabis at home in Maine?
No. Personal adult-use growing needs no license or registration, and towns can't charge a fee for it. You do need to tag each mature and immature plant with your name, your driver's license or state ID number and a note that it is grown for personal adult use.
Can I buy cannabis clones at a Maine dispensary?
Yes. Licensed adult-use stores may sell immature plants and seedlings, and adults 21+ may buy up to 12 at a time from a store or licensed nursery cultivation facility. Stores can't sell flowering plants or give plants away. Stock varies, so call ahead.
Can I grow cannabis in my rented apartment in Maine?
State law lets you grow where you live, but it doesn't override your lease. Maine's Office of Cannabis Policy notes property owners can prohibit cannabis on their premises. Get written permission if the lease is silent, and don't grow in federally assisted housing.
Can I give my homegrown cannabis to a friend in Maine?
Yes, if no money changes hands. Adults 21+ may give another adult up to 2 1/2 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 10 grams of concentrate, or up to 6 immature plants or seedlings. Any payment or donation tied to the handoff makes it an illegal sale.
Does homegrown cannabis count toward Maine's possession limit?
Not at home. You may keep everything your legal plants produce at your residence or where it was grown, under Title 28-B, section 1501(1)(E). In public, the standard limit of 2 1/2 ounces, including no more than 10 grams of concentrate, applies.
Maine gives adults real room to grow their own, and the rules that remain are common sense written into statute: tag it, screen it, lock it, keep it for yourself. While your first plants are still weeks from harvest, you can browse the Rose Mary Jane online menu and order ahead for pickup.