Maine

Portland Rejects Medical Marijuana Moratorium

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Tue, 06/22/2010 - 6:58pm
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By Fox Maine
 
The Portland city council voted unanimously Monday night to reject a proposed six-month moratorium on a medical marijuana dispensary in Portland.
 
The vote came after more than a dozen people, including medical marijuana users, spoke at a public hearing on the issue, asking the city to allow a dispensary sooner rather than later.
 
Medical marijuana patients claim that marijuana is the only thing that eases their pain.
 
The council also sent a proposal to the planning board, blocking out three different sections of the city that could be rezoned for the dispensary, including downtown, Bayside, and certain major streets and avenues, including Washington, Brighton, and Forest. Read more »

Portland may ban pot shops for six months

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Mon, 06/14/2010 - 9:45pm
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By John Richardson
 
PORTLAND - Portland may soon become one of dozens of Maine communities to temporarily ban medical marijuana dispensaries slated to open around the state later this year.
 
But when it comes to getting marijuana into the hands of suffering patients, advocates say Maine's largest city is the last place where local officials should stand in the way.
 
"Portland is really a service center. It's a place where people have access to public transportation in a state with very little public transportation," said Alysia Melnick, an attorney with the Maine Civil Liberties Union. "That makes it even more important that Portland not put up barriers to access."
 
Portland's City Council plans to hold a public hearing on June 21 before deciding whether to adopt a six-month moratorium. It's already clear the high stakes of Portland's decision will bring out strong opposition. Read more »

Maine Will Have Eight Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 9:19pm
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By. Steve Elliot, Toke of the Town
 
Medical marijuana patients in Maine soon won't have to go very far for their doctor-recommended and legally protected medicine. The state will announce the locations of eight regional dispensaries in July, reports Charles McMahon at SeaCoastOnline.com.
 
Earlier this month, the state started accepting applications from nonprofit corporations to become dispensaries under Maine's Medical Use of Marijuana Act. The Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services (DLRS) in the Department of Health and Human Services will be in charge of the selection process.
 
The state will only allow eight dispensaries, one in each of Maine's eight public Health Districts, according to a DHHS release. John Martins, DHHS director of employee and public communications, said the state has determined it will regionalize the dispensaries. Read more »

Maine Medical Marijuana Committee Meets

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 10:05am
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By. Fox "News"

AUGUSTA - A month after Maine voters approved a law expanding access to medical marijuana, a committee created by Governor John Baldacci met for the first time on Tuesday to figure out how to put the law into action.

The 14-member committee is made up of legislators, medical professionals, and lawyers. Their mission is to expand the list of conditions to be treated with marijuana, and to set up places where patients can get it legally.

The group is studying how similar laws work in other states and how to keep the public safe from any unintended consequences. They plan to meet again on each Tuesday for the next two weeks.

Marijuana wins huge public support in Maine, Colorado

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 9:06am
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By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
 
Conventional wisdom dictates that if the people lead then our political leaders will follow. Of course, when it comes to marijuana law reform, conventional wisdom seldom applies.

In a result that should come as a surprise to nobody — except for perhaps certain members of law enforcement and state lawmakers — Maine voters today overwhelmingly approved Question 5, the Maine Marijuana Medical Act. The measure amends existing state law by: establishing a confidential patient registry, expanding the list of qualifying conditions for which a physician may recommend medicinal cannabis, and by allowing for the creation of non-profit state-licensed nonprofit dispensaries to assist in the distribution of medical cannabis to qualified patients.

Read more »

Maine Voters First To License Medical Pot Shops

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 7:58am
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Ryan Grim, ryan@huffingtonpost.com

Maine voters became the first to license nonprofit organizations to sell medical marijuana on Tuesday, with the state's Question 5 cruising to a landslide victory. With roughly half of the precincts reporting, six in ten Maine voters had tallied in favor of allowing state-licensed nonprofits to distribute pot to approved patients.

Two other states -- Rhode Island and New Mexico -- have approved such nonprofits, but Maine is the first to do so through the ballot box. In California and Colorado, the dispensaries are not specifically regulated as pot shops, but rather as businesses in compliance with state laws.

Read more »

Mainers to vote on legalizing marijuana dispensaries

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 8:14am
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Next Tuesday, voters in Maine will weigh in on a referendum proposal that would make it much easier for some patients to get their hands on marijuana.

Question five asks Mainers if they want to "change the medical marijuana laws to allow treatment of more medical conditions and to create a regulated system of distributions."

Put simply, it's asking Mainers if they want to follow in the footsteps of four other states and legalize pot dispensaries.

Breakfast is something most of us take for granted, but for Seamus McGuire it's a daily ritual that produces extreme nausea, followed by vomiting.

Read more »

Op-Ed: Free the weed: Legalize marijuana

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 12:04pm
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By Kegan Zema

This November, Maine voters will decide if they want to become the fifth state to allow legal dispensaries for patients prescribed medical marijuana. The amount of diseases that qualify for the use of medical marijuana would increase as well.

According to a recent article in the Kennebec Journal, there is no organized opposition to Question 5. Only two state officials have offered a negative stance on the referendum question.

It seems that with issues like gay marriage and TABOR II on the ballot, no one cares about a medical marijuana law. The public’s back is turned because of the economy. Everyone is too worried about paying their bills, being able to retire or even just being able to heat their home this winter. They don’t have time to be bothered with where a glaucoma patient will fill their marijuana prescription. Read more »

Maine: New England’s Marijuana-Friendly State

Submitted by Jeremiah Vandermeer on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 1:37pm
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by Allen St. Pierre, The Exception Magazine

In 1999, 61 percent of Maine voters passed Question 2, which sought to protect qualified patients who used cannabis medically under the guidance of their physician.

To date, a dozen other states (HI, AK, WA, OR, CA, NV, NM, CO, MT, MI, RI and VT) have enacted similar laws. However, only in Maine are patients without the guidance of a state registry.

A recent attempt to pass amending legislation failed to advance in the recent legislative session that would have allowed authorized patients to be issued state-issued identification cards notifying law enforcement officials of their legal status. This is a common-sense measure that would save law enforcement officials time and effort, and likely reduce potential abuse under the law. Read more »

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