Medical marijuana caregivers in Maine are breathing a collective sigh of relief this week. The state legislature has passed LD 1242, which looks to give caregivers a role in the regulation process. “This gives the people that are in the industry the real power in making and designing the laws and the rules that we will work around,” said Susan Meehan, a medical marijuana caregiver, and chairperson of the Maine Cannabis Coalition. LD 1242 was written in response to proposed rule changes announced by the Office of Marijuana Policy earlier this year. Medical marijuana caregivers push back on proposed rules The proposed regulations by the OMP would have required medical marijuana operations to have 24/7 surveillance of the site, and require caregivers to use the state’s inventory tracking system, which is already being used for Maine’s adult-use market. Many caregivers feared the added costs associated with the regulations could put them out of business. With the passage of LD 1242, the Office of Marijuana Policy will now be required to work with medical marijuana caregivers, patients, and health care providers when drafting rule changes. Also as part of this bill, all changes to the medical marijuana program will now have to go through the legislature.
Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 07/02/2021 00:54:00