Study Results Alarm Local Substance Abuse Counselors BATH - Area health officials report that Sagadahoc County teenagers are now statistically more likely to smoke marijuana than cigarettes. The change in substance abuse trends, counselors say, indicates a troubling impression among young people that pot is safe. According to the latest results of the biannual Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, which was conducted last fall statewide, 21 percent of high school-aged respondents from Sagadahoc County admitted to smoking marijuana during the previous 30 days. [continues 619 words]
Live And Learn? During the past 75 years - going back to what was the height of the Great Depression - the US has, by any standard, grown immeasurably stronger and richer. But as our economic power wanes and our military supremacy is challenged by asymmetric warfare, an entirely different issue arises: have we grown any smarter? And in asking this particular question, I'm not focusing on the K-12 education crisis we're suddenly all alert to, though that's bad enough. [continues 509 words]
Here's a fact that even drug policy reform advocates can acknowledge: California's 2010 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana does, indeed, pose a real threat, as conservative culture warriors insist. But not to public health, as those conservatives claim. According to most physicians, pot is less toxic -- and has more medicinal applications -- than a legal and more pervasive drug such as alcohol. Whereas alcohol causes hundreds of annual overdose deaths, contributes to untold numbers of illnesses and is a major factor in violent crime, the use of marijuana has never resulted in a fatal overdose and has not been systemically linked to major illness or violent behavior. [continues 536 words]
As I read about the public discussion regarding the location of a medical marijuana dispensary in Augusta, I would like to share a perspective. A dispensary would contribute to the prosperity of any small Maine town, and it could be a resource for the entire community rather than one only for a designated population. A variety of integrated health services could be offered, open to everyone, and it could be a forum to foster a better understanding of this issue. So, why not think beyond the norm, and welcome a small business that will be integral to the community? [continues 181 words]
BIDDEFORD - Action taken by the City Council Tuesday gives the green light for a combined medical marijuana dispensary and growing facility to set up shop on a major route in Biddeford. The council's action occurs a week after the announcement that a company was awarded a license to provide marijuana for medical use in York County and wanted to locate in Biddeford. The non-profit corporation Safe Harbor Maine, Inc., based in Poland, plans to locate a dispensary selling medical marijuana in an existing vacant building at 460 Alfred St. on Route 111. [continues 682 words]
Police Chief James Craig's Idea Gets A Mixed Reaction From Lawmakers Because Of Prison Overcrowding. PORTLAND - Police Chief James Craig says cocaine is at the root of much of the city's crime and he would like to see the laws reflect that. Craig says he plans to meet with other police chiefs, legislators and prosecutors in an effort to make possession of cocaine a felony rather than a misdemeanor, which it is typically for a first offense. "Crack cocaine breeds violence," Craig said. "Crack cocaine will destroy this community if we don't stay ahead of it." [continues 740 words]
SANFORD -- It looks like there will not be a medical marijuana dispensary in Sanford, at least not in the foreseeable future. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services (DLRS) has selected Safe Harbor Maine, Inc. to operate a dispensary in Maine's Health District 1 of York County. Safe Harbor Maine proposes to establish a marijuana dispensary in Biddeford. The DLRS announced Tuesday afternoon the selection of two nonprofit corporations, one in District 1 and one in District 7 (Washington and Hancock counties) to dispense marijuana under Maine's Medical Use of Marijuana Act. [continues 411 words]
BIDDEFORD - A non-profit organization planning to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Biddeford was approved by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. On Tuesday, DHHS announced that Safe Harbor Maine, Inc., of Poland, was one of two winning applicants to be allowed to operate dispensaries in two of the states' eight public health districts. Currently, there is a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in Biddeford, which is scheduled to expire Sept. 12. Tonight the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on zoning changes to allow a dispensary in the city. [continues 431 words]
Maine's Department of Health and Human Services announced the selection of two nonprofit corporations to dispense medical marijuana in York County and Down East. Safe Harbor Maine Inc. of Biddeford will be located in York County while Primary Organic Therapy Inc. of Whitneyville will serve Washington and Hancock counties. Operators were selected last month to serve six other regions of the state. The two new dispensary operators were chosen from a total of 17 applications by a four-member panel. They were scored based on plans to operate as a nonprofit corporation long-term, convenience of location, prior business experience, patient education, record-keeping, quality control and other criteria. Cathy Cobb, director of licensing for the department, said she plans to meet with the dispensaries' chief executives to review their applications and to discuss next steps. The dispensaries will likely take between two and four months to become operational. [end]
The Conditions a Rheumatologist Addresses Have No Studies Showing the Drug Is Effective in Their Treatment. PORTLAND - Medical marijuana prescribing is now legal in 14 states, with Maine the latest to join the growing social movement to legalize pot for medicinal use. Prior to the vote last November and as the mechanisms for distribution are finalized, there has been a relative silence from the medical establishment on the pros and cons of prescribing marijuana to treat various medical conditions. [continues 541 words]
You can learn a lot from other people's mistakes, and a recent trip to California by reporter John Richardson showed that Maine has been a good student when it comes to finding out what works and what doesn't in the field of medical marijuana. In a series of articles that began Aug. 15 in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel, Richardson showed how good planning and careful supervision allowed marijuana clinics to operate in a secure and responsible manner. [continues 319 words]
But drug diversion is still a concern as Maine gets ready to distribute medical marijuana. You can learn a lot from other people's mistakes and a recent trip to California by Portland Press Herald reporter John Richardson showed that Maine has been a good student when it comes to finding out what works and what doesn't in the field of medical marijuana. In a series of articles that began Aug. 15 in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Richardson showed how good planning and careful supervision allowed marijuana clinics to operate in a secure and responsible manner. [continues 319 words]
SANFORD -- In the latest round of applications submitted to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, 19 nonprofit corporations have applied to operate medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. Two of the applications are for a dispensary in Sanford. Last Friday, Aug. 20, was the deadline for the second round of applications for medical marijuana dispensaries. The additional application process became necessary because the DHHS's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Services rejected all proposals submitted in June for dispensaries in Maine Public Health Districts 1 (York County) and 7 (Washington and Hancock counties) during the initial application process. There were successful applicants in the other six public health districts. [continues 365 words]
PORTLAND -- Some AIDS patients in Portland hoping to have legal access soon to medical marijuana may be disappointed. A medical team at the city's India Street Public Health Center, Maine's largest HIV practice, notified most of its 170 patients last week that it won't grant medical marijuana certificates to everyone who asks for one. The drug is potentially harmful and often not medically justified, the team said. "In this current era of effective medications for HIV/AIDS, we are delighted that most of our patients are able to enjoy a very good quality of life and for the majority, medical marijuana will not be necessary," the center said in a letter to patients. "We ... can only provide a certificate to those who genuinely need this substance." [continues 979 words]
PORTLAND - Some AIDS patients in Portland hoping to have legal access soon to medical marijuana may be disappointed. A medical team at the city's India Street Public Health Center, Maine's largest HIV practice, notified most of its 170 patients last week that it won't grant medical marijuana certificates to everyone who asks for one. The drug is potentially harmful and often not medically justified, the team said. "In this current era of effective medications for HIV/AIDS, we are delighted that most of our patients are able to enjoy a very good quality of life and for the majority, medical marijuana will not be necessary," the center said in a letter to patients. "We can only provide a certificate to those who genuinely need this substance." [continues 818 words]
Proposed Dispensary Location Cut From Expanded Medical District By Planners AUGUSTA -- The Planning Board voted in favor of a proposed expansion of the city's medical district but removed a site proposed as a medical marijuana dispensary from the expanded area. Planners voted 6-2 to recommend the City Council expand the medical district, minus a parcel at the corner of Middle and Old Belgrade Roads where Northeast Patients Group hopes to open a medical marijuana dispensary. Middle Road residents said they are not against medical marijuana but feel their residential street is not the right place for a dispensary. [continues 630 words]
AUGUSTA -- The Vienna couple chosen by the state to run a medical marijuana dispensary in western Maine has applied to open a second dispensary in York County. The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday received 19 applications from non-profit groups hoping to operate a dispensary in either York County or Down East. The state will announce Aug. 31 who will run those dispensaries. Last month, DHHS chose three groups to run six of the state's first eight medical marijuana dispensaries. The new medical marijuana law allows one dispensary in each of the state's eight public health districts. None of the applications to the York County or Down East districts received the minimum score from the state, so a second application round was opened immediately. [continues 141 words]
Links to experienced dispensaries might ease the beginnings in Maine, but also raise concerns. Maine has so far licensed six medical marijuana dispensaries. Five of them have direct connections to California's cannabis industry. Some state officials are welcoming the experience and resources from the West Coast. The new arrivals should help Maine's experiment with dispensaries get off to a smooth start, they say. Others, however, fear the California connections are a troubling way to begin. Most of the concerns focus on Northeast Patients Group, which was granted the licenses to open dispensaries in or near Portland, Augusta, Thomaston and Bangor. [continues 730 words]
Tim Smale's quest for migraine relief led to marijuana, which he's now dispensing in Maine. Tim and Jennifer Smale have built and run businesses before. But their newest venture is more personal. Tim Smale, a former competitive swimmer with a master's degree in business administration, developed severe migraine headaches in his mid-20s. He said he tried various prescription drugs, but gave up because of side effects and the risk of addiction. In 2004, he said, he discovered what he says is a safer, better treatment for the pain and nausea: marijuana. [continues 187 words]
Inside Maine
