A state task force assigned to implement the medical marijuana initiative recently passed by Maine voters has yet to complete its work. But one state lawmaker says she will introduce a separate measure to limit where and how medical marijuana is grown and provided to dispensaries. And as Susan Sharon reports, campaign supporters say the proposal is an affront to their effort and to voters' wishes.
Democratic Representative Anne Haskell of Portland describes herself as a medical marijuana supporter. She says she signed the petition to get the initiative setting up marijuana dispensaries on the November ballot and then she voted for it. She's also a member of the governor's task force drafting rules and regulations for dispensaries. But even Haskell admits that the bill she now has in mind is a departure from what Maine voters approved in November by a wide margin.
"I think it really is a departure from what the initiative stated, because the initiative basically said that the dispensaries would also be the growers," Haskell says.
Instead of having an unknown, scattered number of medical marijuana dispensaries growing pot for qualified patients, Haskell says she thinks it would make more sense to concentrate grow operations at a few farms and greenhouses that could be overseen by the Department of Agriculture. That, she says would help with quality control, and prevent illegal diversion of marijuana.
"One of the things the deputy commissioner said is salad greens that are presented to the table in Maine are going to have more oversight than medical marijuana that is going to be presented to people who are sick," Haskell says.
Haskell says she envisions the Ag Department putting out requests for growers to provide a certain volume of medical marijuana, a certain type, and then have a few growers who meet the specs bid on the job.
"It's here we go again with the idea that agriculture is better by a centralized operation," says Jonathan Leavitt, a campaign organizer for the medical marijuana law.
He's been observing the work of the governor's task force. And he says Haskell's bill makes no economic sense.
"The reality is if you go with these large scale operations you're gonna create maybe ten jobs, maybe 20 jobs across the state," Leavitt says. "You know, if you go with the small scale operations you are going to have the greatest job creation piece of legislation that the state of Maine has ever seen."
Leavitt says that's because there are already hundreds of marijuana growers in Maine who are waiting to come out from under the table and sell their product legally. Letting them have the business, Leavitt says, would allow them to pay income taxes and possibly put more money in the state's bank account. Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Ned Porter says his department hasn't yet taken a position on Haskell's bill. But Porter says he has heard from some growers who would like a piece of the action.
"I've heard specifically from the Western Maine Nurseries....it's a family-owned business," Porter says. "They've been in business for a long time. They're big. But they're not Archer Daniels Midland by any stretch of the imagination."
According to its website, the Fryeburg-based nursery grows 25-30 million evergreens and 300 varieties of woody ornamentals on about 300 acres. A call from MPBN was not returned by airtime. But medical marijuana supporters and patients are worried about the direction of Haskell's bill. They say it could open the door to big corporations getting into the medical marijuana growing business...and lets the state decide who gets to be a grower. Eric Friberg of South Portland describes himself as a patient.
"Let's say there's a small struggling farmer that wants to supplement his income by growing some quality medicine for some patients," Friberg says. "That's not going to be able to happen. No offense but I doubt the state has a relationship with the plant like my caregiver has a relationship with that plant."
Friberg says he has also grown disillusioned with the governor's task force on medical marijuana. He says members appear to be more interested in pleasing law enforcement than members of the public. The group has one final meeting in January before it completes its work.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Author: Susan Sharon
Contact: Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Copyright: 2009 Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Website: State lawmaker wants to place limits on medical marijuana dispensaries
Democratic Representative Anne Haskell of Portland describes herself as a medical marijuana supporter. She says she signed the petition to get the initiative setting up marijuana dispensaries on the November ballot and then she voted for it. She's also a member of the governor's task force drafting rules and regulations for dispensaries. But even Haskell admits that the bill she now has in mind is a departure from what Maine voters approved in November by a wide margin.
"I think it really is a departure from what the initiative stated, because the initiative basically said that the dispensaries would also be the growers," Haskell says.
Instead of having an unknown, scattered number of medical marijuana dispensaries growing pot for qualified patients, Haskell says she thinks it would make more sense to concentrate grow operations at a few farms and greenhouses that could be overseen by the Department of Agriculture. That, she says would help with quality control, and prevent illegal diversion of marijuana.
"One of the things the deputy commissioner said is salad greens that are presented to the table in Maine are going to have more oversight than medical marijuana that is going to be presented to people who are sick," Haskell says.
Haskell says she envisions the Ag Department putting out requests for growers to provide a certain volume of medical marijuana, a certain type, and then have a few growers who meet the specs bid on the job.
"It's here we go again with the idea that agriculture is better by a centralized operation," says Jonathan Leavitt, a campaign organizer for the medical marijuana law.
He's been observing the work of the governor's task force. And he says Haskell's bill makes no economic sense.
"The reality is if you go with these large scale operations you're gonna create maybe ten jobs, maybe 20 jobs across the state," Leavitt says. "You know, if you go with the small scale operations you are going to have the greatest job creation piece of legislation that the state of Maine has ever seen."
Leavitt says that's because there are already hundreds of marijuana growers in Maine who are waiting to come out from under the table and sell their product legally. Letting them have the business, Leavitt says, would allow them to pay income taxes and possibly put more money in the state's bank account. Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Ned Porter says his department hasn't yet taken a position on Haskell's bill. But Porter says he has heard from some growers who would like a piece of the action.
"I've heard specifically from the Western Maine Nurseries....it's a family-owned business," Porter says. "They've been in business for a long time. They're big. But they're not Archer Daniels Midland by any stretch of the imagination."
According to its website, the Fryeburg-based nursery grows 25-30 million evergreens and 300 varieties of woody ornamentals on about 300 acres. A call from MPBN was not returned by airtime. But medical marijuana supporters and patients are worried about the direction of Haskell's bill. They say it could open the door to big corporations getting into the medical marijuana growing business...and lets the state decide who gets to be a grower. Eric Friberg of South Portland describes himself as a patient.
"Let's say there's a small struggling farmer that wants to supplement his income by growing some quality medicine for some patients," Friberg says. "That's not going to be able to happen. No offense but I doubt the state has a relationship with the plant like my caregiver has a relationship with that plant."
Friberg says he has also grown disillusioned with the governor's task force on medical marijuana. He says members appear to be more interested in pleasing law enforcement than members of the public. The group has one final meeting in January before it completes its work.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Author: Susan Sharon
Contact: Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Copyright: 2009 Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Website: State lawmaker wants to place limits on medical marijuana dispensaries
