GARDINER, Maine (AP) -- A medical marijuana businessman in Maine is offering weed for weeds in a program to encourage Gardiner residents to clean up their city.

WCSH-TV reports (http://on.wcsh6.com/2eEAtNL ) that Dennis Meehan, owner of Summit Medical Marijuana, offered residents who collected trash Saturday free marijuana. The businessman says anyone who was over 21 was offered free marijuana if they presented a bag of trash that was collected in town.

Meehan's company advertised the cleanup effort on Facebook, and he says he hopes to expand what he calls "the day of service" program to the entire state. Mehan says the program is about bringing awareness to the "life-changing" nature of cannabis as well.

Gifting marijuana is legal in Maine.

Meehan says he got the idea for the swap from a Colorado town's similar program.

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A Gardiner medical marijuana caregiver says dozens of people took part in a cleanup Saturday in which he and other growers provided a gram of marijuana for every bag of trash collected on city streets by participants.

Dennis Meehan, who runs Summit Medical Marijuana with other members of his family in downtown Gardiner, said "several dozen" participants filled more than 100 trash bags - every bag they had on hand.

While he said he isn't sure how much marijuana he gave away, the trash bin was filled beyond the top, and overflowing.

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A leader of the group opposed to marijuana legalization said Monday that it will request a recount of votes on the statewide ballot question that passed by a narrow margin last week.

Such a recount, involving more than 757,000 ballots, could take a month to conduct and cost the state $500,000, the Secretary of State's Office said Monday.

Mainers Protecting Our Youth and Communities, which opposed Question 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot, is circulating petitions to collect the 100 signatures needed to request a recount. Scott Gagnon, campaign manager for the group, said the petitions will be turned in to the Secretary of State's Office before the deadline at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

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As a mother, I understand the fears about legalizing marijuana. Parents want the best for our children.

We worry about addiction. But research unfailingly has shown that most hard-drug users start with alcohol or tobacco, not cannabis. And marijuana has never caused a single death, unlike opiates or alcohol.

Parents worry about teen use. Question 1 will better protect our kids, who, everyone agrees, should not use marijuana.

From other states, we know Maine teens won't use more marijuana if we vote "yes" on 1. In addition, black-market dealers do not check IDs and do not test their products, putting our kids at risk.

Maine can create a legal, regulated market for adults that tests and labels products for safety, conforms to marketing restrictions, requires child-proof packaging, only sells to adults, and is accountable to us.

Tammie Snow

Portland

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Experience as a 30-year veteran of law enforcement causes me concern regarding misinformation being disseminated regarding Question 1.

For more than three decades, smoking marijuana has been a civil violation resulting in neither arrest nor a criminal record. It is ludicrous to suggest that a civil violation would impede investigations of domestic violence or missing persons.

Most marijuana civil summonses, which can be useful as plea bargaining leverage, are issued as a result of a traffic stop, a search after arrest or in conjunction with a criminal investigation.

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You may have heard about the biggest mistake in Question 1, which is the removal of the prohibition of marijuana possession by minors. A very big mistake, but there are many more flaws. While the prohibition ban for minors could be corrected by the Legislature, we've seen how well that's been working lately. There are a number of issues that are not getting much publicity:

* Any respected law enforcement official will say the pursuit of offenders for the civil offense of possession is not keeping one officer from investigating homicides or looking for abducted children.

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Maine voters are deciding on six referendums this election. Here are The Times Record's endorsements.

Question 1 seeks to allow the recreational use and tax of marijuana. It's past time to legalize marijuana, the most commonly used illicit drug in the nation. According to the Pew Research Center, 49 percent of Americans admit having tried marijuana, while 53 percent support legalization. Legalization would make recreational use safer, free up law enforcement and the courts to prosecute more serious crimes, and provide another source of badly-needed revenue for the state.

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I've spent my 50-year career in public safety and the military trying to protect and keep people safe. Some of the most challenging things I have dealt with were not actions of individuals but the consequences of political decisions. With Question 1, which would legalize recreational marijuana, you get to decide whether this law goes into effect. If it does, I can assure you the unintended consequences will be many.

As a naval officer during the Vietnam War, I saw young men devolve into addiction - first with marijuana and then with harder drugs such as heroin. As Waterville police chief, I saw parents neglect their children and watched as young people let their ambitions wallow in a haze of marijuana smoke. As commissioner of public safety, which includes Maine State Police, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Maine fire marshal's office, I read reports almost daily about marijuana-related incidents, crashes and crimes.

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This paper acknowledges "the U.S.'s long war on drugs has been a dismal failure." On November 8, Maine voters will have the opportunity adopt a rational marijuana policy.

Question 1 would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and over. It contains strong protections for kids, employers and landlords; provides local controls; prioritizes Maine farmers and businesses; expands access for all adults; and protects our m-edical marijuana program that has served patients since 1999.

This initiative is about civil liberties and privacy. It's about jobs and revenue. It's about protecting children and public safety. And it's about addressing our addiction epidemic.

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Our biggest problem with Question 1, which would legalize recreational marijuana, is how more drug exposure may affect our children. At Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado, there has been 51 percent increase in children under age 18 needing emergency room treatment for marijuana-related conditions over the last two years. A lot of these kids are getting their marijuana by ingesting marijuana edibles - candy, cookies, lollipops. Do you want pot shops and pot bars opening up next to your schools, churches, houses, parks and playgrounds?

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We disagree with your recent editorial supporting Question 1.

I am currently president of the Maine Medical Association, consisting of over 4,000 Maine physicians and physicians-in-training. In furtherance of our mission to protect public health, we urge voters to oppose Question 1.

Surveys of our member physicians show most oppose the ballot question, which would allow unrestricted recreational use of marijuana. The MMA's position mirrors those of the Maine Hospital Association, the Maine Public Health Association and the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Two advocates who previously worked to legalize medical marijuana in Maine together debated the hot topic of recreational marijuana legalization initiative Question 1, taking questions from a raucous audience that ranged from children to medical marijuana caregivers.

The debate was held at Unity College Performing Arts Center, which was nearly full to its capacity of about 100 people and smelled faintly of marijuana. A wide variety of people turned out for the event, including families, students, caregivers and a man dressed as a Rasta banana.

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PORTLAND, Me. - A woman in her 30s was sitting in a car in a parking lot here last month, shooting up heroin, when she overdosed. Even after the men she was with injected her with naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, she remained unconscious. They called 911.

Firefighters arrived and administered oxygen to improve her breathing, but her skin had grown gray and her lips had turned blue. As she lay on the asphalt, the paramedics slipped a needle into her arm and injected another dose of naloxone.

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The Department of Health and Human Services denies a petition by a caregiver who sought to add addiction to the list of medical conditions that qualify for marijuana prescriptions.

A state agency has denied a petition to allow medical marijuana to be prescribed for treatment of addiction to opioids and other drugs.

Dawson Julia, a medical marijuana caregiver in Unity, filed the petition Jan. 12 and was informed of the denial Monday in a letter from Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew. Julia had sought to add "Addiction to Opiates and drugs derived from chemical synthesis" to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify for medical marijuana prescriptions. The list currently includes glaucoma, cancer and other conditions.

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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - So far, only the Passamaquoddy Tribe and a Portland resident have received permission to grow what would be the state's first licensed crops of industrial hemp. They are going into unknown territory in Maine at a time when federal law prohibits commercial hemp cultivation.

Republican state Representative Deborah Sanderson, of Chelsea, who sponsored last summer's hemp legalization bill, said the state's been "very slow" in getting the crop going. Benedicta potato farmer Glenn Lane said the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry has prolonged the rule-making process.

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Common Sense Should Say That Legalized Marijuana Isn't Going to Maximize Anyone's Potential.

If you use alcohol, nicotine or other drugs to help you cope with the challenges of your daily life, please read on. I wrote this for you.

I'm 71 now, with plenty of time to look back over my life and consider what I might have done differently, what I might have achieved, if I hadn't been hooked on alcohol and nicotine.

It will be 15 years this October since I finally had my last drink and last cigarette and embraced a healthy lifestyle permanently. I wish I had learned how to do it much earlier; I could have made better decisions, been more available to others and achieved my highest potential in both my career and personal life.

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Home Grown Maine 2016 is happening about five months before residents will vote on whether to make recreational use of marijuana legal in the state.

(AP) - The debate over whether to legalize recreational marijuana in Maine will take center stage at an event that bills itself as New England's largest cannabis trade show.

Home Grown Maine 2016, a major event for growers, vendors and patients of medical marijuana, is taking place at the Augusta Civic Center in Maine's capital city on Saturday and Sunday. The trade show is happening about five months before residents will vote on whether to make recreational use of marijuana legal in the state.

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One thing is a fairly safe bet: If we legalize and allow for-profit companies to produce, sell and advertise marijuana, use will likely increase.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - In six months, California will join Maine, Nevada and probably a few other states in deciding whether to legalize the large-scale commercial production of marijuana. Residents will be inundated with wild claims about the promises and pitfalls of these initiatives.

You will hear debates about government revenue, criminal justice benefits, the environment and the effect of legalization on Mexican drug-trafficking organizations. Public health conversations may prove especially contentious. Some will claim that legalization will constitute a net gain for health. Others will say the exact opposite.

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Experts and law enforcement officers will gather to discuss ways to improve highway safety as Maine considers legal marijuana.

Experts and law enforcement officers will gather Monday in Portland to discuss how to improve highway safety as more drivers get behind the wheel after using marijuana and other drugs.

The impaired-driving summit, sponsored by AAA Northern New England and the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, will focus on new research and approaches to deal with drivers who are under the influence. With the prospect of marijuana legalization in the state, the summit will focus largely on cannabis-impaired driving, according to organizers.

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A judge on Friday gave a victory to supporters of a referendum aimed at legalizing marijuana by overruling a decision by election officials to reject thousands of signatures.

The same judge who upheld Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap's decision to reject a casino referendum proposal because of invalid signatures on Thursday revived the campaign to put the proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use on the November ballot.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol disputed Dunlap's rejection of 26,779 signatures because the signature of the notary didn't match the signature on file.

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