The medical marijuana law passed by voters in 2009 was supposed to create greater access to the drug for those suffering from a lengthy list of illnesses. It replaced a 1999 law, also enacted at referendum, that made it legal to possess marijuana as medicine but offered no system for patients to obtain it.

More than a year after the vote, and two months after the new registration system took effect, patients are still struggling to find doctors willing to write medical certificates, as is now required. And some patients are worse off than before.

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Biddeford's Medical Marijuana Dispensary Set to Open in March

BIDDEFORD - Bill Harnden's life has been one of almost constant pain. He was born with degenerative disc disease and has chronic, intractable back pain from the five fused discs along his spine. He also had a non-malignant tumor on his brain stem removed, which has caused significant pain in his neck. Although the 60-year-old man from Auburn had worked in financial management, he had to give up his job in 2007 because of his condition.

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Although I commend U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty's willingness to involve limited federal resources to the frightening prescription drug problem in Maine ("Agencies team up to fight prescription drug problem," Jan. 25), I feel that federal law enforcement is only a small part of the solution.

I have two perspectives regarding the problem of prescription opiates in this state.

One comes from representing insurance companies in workers' compensation cases where opiate addition is an issue; the second from being a court-appointed counsel in many criminal matters that involve opiate addiction.

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A Production and Distribution System Unique in Medicine Could Bring Danger As Well As Relief.

As implementation of the citizen-initiated medical marijuana law inches toward completion, we still have questions about what we are dealing with.

Is this medicine, or is it an illegal drug? The answer continues to be sometimes one and sometimes the other. In addition to the highly regulated dispensaries that will open next month, 113 "caregivers" have registered with the state, giving them permission to grow pot for up to five patients. All of this is still a violation of federal law.

These dispersed home-growing operations are a cause of concern. We don't produce or distribute any other medication in this manner. Unless the legality of marijuana is clarified, one way or the other, we will be left in this confusing legal twilight.

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What Has Been Learned in California Could Be Put to Use Here, Turning an Illegal Market into a Significant Industry,

PORTLAND - My last marijuana adventure was in the back of a '64 Mustang full of teenagers, deep in a Louisiana cotton field -- and I was far more worried about my mother's wrath than about getting stoned. Claiming my experiment was "medicinal research" never occurred to me. And, yes, I did inhale just once, which just about killed me.

To this day, I still much prefer beer, but my curiosity about medical marijuana led me to Berkeley, Calif., the industry mecca. Overdue a midlife crisis, I grew a ponytail to blend in with the cannabis managers, gave my favorite handyman a week to paint my condo, and headed west from Maine.

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BIDDEFORD -- With a rise in abuse of prescription painkillers and crimes related to addiction, the Biddeford Police Department is being proactive in responding to the problem.

Today, the manufacturer of one of the most abused and most powerful painkillers on the market hosted a training session for law enforcement officers at the Biddeford Police Department. The training included education about prescription drugs as well as tools and strategies about how to deal with prescription drug related crimes.

In the past 13 months, there have been six robberies at pharmacies within the city for the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin, said Biddeford Police Chief Roger Beaupre. Seventy-five reports of stolen prescription drugs have been made in the past two years, he said.

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This is in response to the letter "An exclusionary practice" by Patricia Soderholm, printed Dec. 26.

There have been problems in every one of the 15 states that have legalized medical cannabis (marijuana) for sick citizens, mostly because of government red tape. The best way to eliminate all that red tape is to completely legalize cannabis.

Legalizing the relatively safe, extremely popular, God-given plant cannabis for all responsible adults would mean citizens who wish to use the plant for medical purposes would not need to navigate government requirements to pay extortion money to government for protection from police.

It's obviously time to legalize cannabis and regulate it, like alcohol, because it is here for the duration of time.

Stan White, Dillon, Colo.

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Maine Dispensary May Be 1st in East

AUBURN, Maine - In the cavernous confines of a long-vacant store in a standard-issue shopping plaza, an earnest couple are cultivating plans for what could be the first dispensary for medical marijuana east of the Mississippi River.

Called the Remedy Compassion Center and expected to open this spring, the dispensary is one of eight that state health officials will allow in Maine after Jan. 1. In its 10,000 square feet, set next to a craft store, the center will grow, harvest, and sell marijuana.

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The Franklin Community Health Network prides itself "on providing the best care available anywhere, the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our families." Then why do they have an exclusionary practice to deny care to their patients?

I am a licensed caregiver with the state of Maine, and I provide full-time care for a quadriplegic patient. This patient has an active, legal medical marijuana prescription dating back to 2003, and recently submitted paperwork to update the prescription in accordance with state law.

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Pot Would Be Legal If the Laws Were Driven by Public Health Standards Instead of Culture.

Regarding Mark Publicker's Maine Voices column, ("Medical marijuana act silent on potential risks," Nov. 29): If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco.

Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents.

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What is the difference between driving under the influence of marijuana and alcohol (letter, Dec. 9, "Medical marijuana users shouldn't be able to drive")? Do we really need to ask this?

Driving while under the influence of marijuana is completely different from driving under the influence of alcohol. The state realizes this as well.

Taking away someone's privilege to drive because they are prescribed medicinal marijuana seems foolish to me.

Evan Nedik

Augusta

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Practice offering alternatives thriving

HALLOWELL - Dustin Sulak probably has the fastest growing medical practice in Maine.

The osteopathic doctor, who's been licensed for just over a year, had 30 patients last fall. Now, he treats 1,300.

On the wall of Sulak's examination room, next to his diplomas and state license, are framed certificates naming him a Reiki master and a clinical hypnotherapist.

All patients, on their first visit, get a hands-on healing treatment from either Sulak or a nurse practitioner, he said between bites of quinoa, a grain-like seed that he ate from a mason jar.

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The people of this state recently passed the medical marijuana law. I am a little concerned about the ramifications of people who can legally smoke for their chronic pain and still maintain a driver's license.

People with chronic pain would never pass a drug test. What if they have an accident and hurt someone while under the influence of a scheduled Z drug? What is the difference between that and someone under the influence of alcohol?

I don't have a problem with the law, I just don't think that people thought it through, especially the state. Yes, you can have medical marijuana and still drive? Come on, something is wrong with this.

Sheila Moody

Madison

[end]

HALLOWELL - Dustin Sulak probably has the fastest growing medical practice in Maine.

The osteopathic doctor, who's been licensed for just over a year, had 30 patients last fall. Now, he treats 1,300.

On the wall of Sulak's examination room, next to his diplomas and state license, are framed certificates naming him a Reiki master and a clinical hypnotherapist. All patients, on their first visit, get a hands-on healing treatment from either Sulak or a nurse practitioner, he said between bites of quinoa, a grain-like seed that he ate from a mason jar.

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LEWISTON - There's a difference between growing medical marijuana for yourself and growing it for other people, city councilors said Tuesday night.

"And I think that given our housing stock, we have a duty to regulate those larger operations," Councilor Mark Cayer said.

Councilors voted 5-0 over the objections of the Maine Civil Liberties Union to approve a pair of ordinances aimed at regulating medical marijuana growing and distributing operations.

Alysia Melnick, public policy counsel for the Maine Civil Liberties Union, said state rules regulating sellers of medical marijuana are more than adequate. They might even be too strict.

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"Medical pot growers forming trade group," read the article, making me wonder: Would they come under commodities on the stock exchange?

So when do we see them on the Big Board? What do they do if their stock goes out of date? You can bet they'll get someone to dispose of it for them, leading to the headline, "Inventory destroyed by fire."

Medical means strict control as far as I know. Why do we need all these "dealers"? We already have them on the streets now!

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Still Hopes To Have Location In Or Near Augusta

AUGUSTA -- The state-approved operator of a proposed regional medical marijuana dispensary has given up on one site but hopes to find a suitable one not too far away.

Northeast Patients Group Executive Director Becky DeKeuster said the group is no longer considering 10 Middle Road to open a medical marijuana dispensary that would serve the Augusta and Waterville region. But the nonprofit dispensary operator is still looking for a place to start a dispensary in or near Augusta.

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AUGUSTA -- The state-approved operator of a proposed regional medical marijuana dispensary has given up on one site but hopes to find a suitable one not too far away.

Northeast Patients Group Executive Director Becky DeKeuster said the group is no longer considering 10 Middle Rd. to open a medical marijuana dispensary that would serve the Augusta and Waterville region. But the nonprofit dispensary operator is still looking for a place to start a dispensary in or near Augusta.

"We remain committed to locating in this area, as it is the service and population center for a significant number of patients," said DeKeuster, who moved to Augusta to start Northeast Patients Group dispensaries in Maine. "The proximity of the Alfond cancer center and the hospital make this area the sensible choice for our patients, as well.

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BIDDEFORD - Despite concerns from some members, the Planning Board approved the permit to allow a medical marijuana dispensary to set up shop in Biddeford.

On Wednesday, the board approved the application by Canuvo, Inc., formerly Safe Harbor Maine, Inc., to locate at 6 Wellspring Road.

The non-profit company has a purchase and sales agreement with Southern Maine Medical Center, which owns the property, to purchase one unit in a five-unit condominium building that houses other medical uses.

Planning Board members discussed a number of concerns, such as parking, security, the effect of the dispensary on nearby businesses, and the advisability of locating the dispensary in a building where services for children are provided.

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AUGUSTA, Maine -- A group of residents angry with the Legislature's latest changes to the state's medical marijuana law are planning a quiet but concerted effort today to persuade the new crop of lawmakers in Augusta to make changes.

According to Cynthia Rosen of Washington, the residents are seeking either a moratorium on or repeal of a law that ORIGINATED from a bill titled "An Act to Amend the Maine Medical Marijuana Act," which was passed overwhelmingly in April of this year.

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