Title:
Maine: Public comments on new medical marijuana rules accepted until Aug. 23
Message:
Maine’s medical marijuana program administrators have proposed a new set of rules, some of which are troubling and were challenged at a public hearing Monday. The Department of Health and Human Services Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services will accept written comments on the rules until Monday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m.
The complete proposed rules can be found here, along with a link to a form for submitting comments.
The newly proposed rules were drafted to incorporate positive changes to Maine’s law made by the legislature in 2011. Rep. Deb Sanderson (R-Chelsea), sponsor of the 2011 reform bill, said she was happy with most of the proposed rules, but joined patients and caregivers in raising concerns about some rules at Monday’s hearing.
The most controversial proposed rules include restrictions on outdoor cultivation (for example, requiring an eight foot fence and motion-sensitive lighting for all outdoor cultivation sites). Additionally, the proposed rules require property owners to provide written permission before a “cultivation area” may be located on the property — a requirement that may frighten property owners into withholding their permission, which they might otherwise be willing to grant.
Again, the link to read the rules and submit comments is here.
