AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council last week approved a bill from Rep. Lynne Williams, D-Bar Harbor, that would clarify new rulemaking parameters for the Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) and define the role of the Legislature in the rulemaking process.
The bill, An Act To Update and Clarify the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act and Provide for Greater Transparency, would implement changes to make the law clearer and more specific, reduce the need for interpretation in rulemaking and protect against administrative overreach. Additionally, it would require public access to sales data related to the state's medical marijuana program transactions, which will provide important information about the size and impact of the industry.
"This past session, we passed the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act with overwhelming bipartisan support to ensure that OMP's rulemaking would include more consultation with local caregivers and patients," said Williams. "This new bill will build off the success of that legislation to establish better parameters as OMP prepares to restart the rulemaking process and ensure the Legislature does not abdicate its role in setting good policy."
Williams' bill will be heard when the Legislature meets again in January.
Williams, a member of the Legislature's Transportation Committee, is serving her first term in the Maine House and represents Bar Harbor, Lamoine and Mount Desert.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Williams], c. 812-1111