Task Force to Implement the Maine Medical Marijuana Act

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services (DLRS), announces an open application period for non-profit corporations to apply to become dispensaries for growing and dispensing prepared marijuana to registered patients under the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.

View proposed Rules Governing the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program, 10-144 C.M.R. Chapter 122. on the DLRS website. To comment on or ask questions about the proposed rules before the end of the comment period On June 17, 2010, visit the rulemaking Comments page.

Emergency rules governing the program were adopted on May 5, 2010. The rules and all application materials are available at www.maine.gov/dhhs/dlrs, or may be obtained in written form by contacting the Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services by phone at (207) 287-9300, 1-800-791-4080, or by writing to:

Kenneth Albert, Director
Kenneth.Albert@maine.gov
Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services
Department of Health and Human Services
11 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

The Maine Medical Marijuana Act was signed by the Governor on Friday, and immediately became law, as it was passed as "Emergency" legislation. View the text of the statute (Public Law Chapter 631). When reading the statute, please remember that underlined text is what the legislature has ADDED to the original bill and crossed out text is DELETED. Also see the DHHS District Map, depicting the 8 districts that will be used to determine where the 8 dispensaries will be located, as directed by the legislature.

DHHS will now draft Rules and Regulations to outline exactly how the system will operate for registering patients and caregivers, and choosing the 8 dispensaries. Those rules will be posted as soon as they are completed (probably in early May) and a public hearing and comment period will be scheduled and posted by the end of May, as required by law. The new rules must be in effect on July 1, 2010. That means that by July 1 st, we will begin to accept patient and caregiver registrations, as described in the rules, and will have a process in place to bid out the dispensaries and to choose them. The dispensaries will NOT be in place by July 1st -- only the process to choose them.

Please continue to check our website to see the proposed rules and comment period so you can ask questions or suggest improvements to the rules.


Maine Medical Marijuana Task Force Report Cover Letter - 01/27/2010 (MS Word, Adobe PDF)

Maine Medical Marijuana Task Force Report to Gov. Baldacci - 01/27/2010 (MS Word, Adobe PDF)

Governor Baldacci named a Task Force to implement the new Maine Medical Marijuana Law. The task force is charged with reviewing the implementation of similar laws in other states; making recommendations on the implementation of the law in Maine, including recommendations for changes in the enacted law that are deemed necessary to ensure effective implementation and ongoing monitoring of the medical marijuana program, and protection of public health and safety; and advising the Department of Health and Human Services in its development of proposed rules and fee schedules.

LD 1811 Printed - Hearing Scheduled 3/11/2010 1:00 pm

View the bill

LD 1811, An Act to Amend the Maine Marijuana Act, which puts the final details and definitions in place for the implementation of the Maine Medical Marijuana Act, has been printed. The public hearing date has been sent before the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services on March 11th, 2010 at 1:00 pm, in the Health and Human Services Committee Room 209 of the Cross Office Building, next to the State House, in Augusta. There will also be an "overflow" room to accomodate those who cannot get in to the committee room.

If you would like to testify in support, opposition, or neither for nor against (but have information to share) you may either appear in person, write to the Legislative Chairpeople of HHS. It is preferred by the committeee that if you are testifying you submit your comments in writing, and bring a minimum of 25 copies for the members of the committee. Many people also bring extra copies for the public, but that is not required.

You may send comments addressed to:
Senator Brannigan, and Rep. Perry, Chairs,
Health & Human Services
State House Station 100
Augusta, ME 04333.

In order for them to consider your comments, you need to be sure they arrive to them before the work session, which will probably be scheduled the week after the public hearing.

Typically testimony begins by saying: Senator Brannigan, Rep. Perry, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Health & Human Services, my name is ________ and I am here (or I am writing) to testify in support (or in opposition, or neither for nor against) of LD 1811, An Act to Amend the Maine Marijuana Act.

Please remember that if you attend the public hearing, the chairs will probably limit all testimony to 3 minutes, so if you have more to say, you should write it down and submit it. They have so much information, that the shorter your written comments are, the easier it will be for them to read and remember your opinions.


Following the public hearing, a work session on LD 1811 is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16th, at 1:00 PM, in HHS, Rm. 209, of the Cross Office Building (the same room as the public hearing). At the work session, committee members will begin to debate the bill and make the final decisions. The work session is open to the public, but the public can not speak unless called on. For the most part, the committee does not call on the public at a work sessions, unless there is need for specific information that someone may have. It is hoped that all the final decisions will be made that day, and they will pass the final version of the bill and send it to the Senate and House for final enactment. If they do not have enough time to finalize it, another work session will be set soon thereafter, as they are under pressure to finish all their bills next week if at all possible.


Referendum # 5, passed by the people of Maine on 11/3/2009: 

An Act to Establish the Maine Medical Marijuana Act
Do you want to change the medical marijuana laws to allow treatment of more medical conditions and to create a regulated system of distribution?"

Task Force Members

Meeting Schedule:

NOTE: Meetings are open to the public. They will be held:

DateTimeLocation
December 1, 2009 12:00 - 3:30

State House
State and Capitol Street
Room 126, 1st Floor
Augusta, ME Map

December 1 Handouts*

  • Summary - Medical Marijuana Statute (Word | PDF)
  • State Charts - Legal Amounts
    (Information provided by ProCon.org)
  • Canadian distribution guidelines (PDF)
  • Medical Cannabis Article - Dr. Gilbert J. Fanciullo, MD, MS (PDF)
  • Representative Haskell (Testimony from 1992) (PDF)
(*free viewer)
December 8, 2009 12:00 - 3:30
December 15, 2009 1:00 - 4:00
January 5, 2010 1:00 - 3:00

January 05, 2010 - Maine Medical Marijuana Task Force Meeting

*January 15, 2010 8:30 - 10:30

Room 220
(Labor Committee room)
Cross Building
111 Sewall Street
Augusta

*NOTE: Friday, January 15th is a State shutdown day. The building will be open, and this room has been reserved for the Task Force. The room is located immediately adjacent to the information kiosk on the 2nd floor and near the building entrances.

The public may log on to https://www.maine.gov/legis/audio/lab_cmte.html to listen to this session.


The task force will make its recommendations by Dec. 31, 2009

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