AUGUSTA — Whether medical cannabis growers should be required to test and track their products will come up for votes at the State House in the coming days.
For at least 10 years, state lawmakers have considered legislation to require the medical cannabis industry to test their products before offering them to patients.
The current legislation, LD 1847, would subject most growers to new regulations on testing similar to what’s in place for the state’s recreational cannabis industry. The Maine Public Health Association and others say it’s important to test for pesticides, heavy metals and mold.
That’s particularly true for cancer patients and pediatric patients who turn to medical cannabis to help ease side effects, said Melissa Hackett of the Maine Children’s Alliance.
“Families with a sick child have enough to worry about,” she said. “They shouldn’t have the added stress of trying to find medical cannabis that’s safe for their kids.”
But opponents like Lizzy Hayes, a medical cannabis caregiver, said the bill seeks to overregulate the industry.
“The bill was opposed largely by patients,” she said. “They recognize it would limit their access to the caregiver of their choice and to the medicine that they need.”
Maine’s medical cannabis industry dates to 1999 when voters approved the creation of a system to allow caregivers to grow cannabis for patients. Hayes said most patients have worked with the same grower for years and are confident they are getting safe products.
“For a lot of patients, they know their grower, it could be a neighbor or a friend or someone that they have a long relationship with,” she said. “They don’t need that added cost to have that reassurance about their medicine.”
In recent weeks, law enforcement has come out in favor of the bill, saying they believe the tracking requirements will help them crack down on illegal growing operations. A letter expressing support was signed by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, Mainer Sheriff’s Association and the Maine Department of Public Safety.
“Maine is the only state in the country where medical cannabis is not required to be tested and tracked,” they wrote. “And this has directly led to the dramatic rise and spread of illicit cannabis operations in Maine.”
During a Monday press conference, Democratic bill sponsors Rep. Anne Graham of North Yarmouth and Rep. Marc Malon of Biddeford were joined by Republican Rep. Amy Arata of New Gloucester.
“It’s very important to recognize that this is not a partisan issue,” Graham said. “This is an issue that is shared across the aisle. This is a health and safety issue.”
However, Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland) told reporters that he doesn’t believe that the lack of testing protocols for medical cannabis is hurting patients.
“Where are the dead bodies?” he said. “Where are the people in the ER overdosing on this tainted cannabis? It’s just not happening. This is about fear. They are creating a lot of fear.”
Each year, medical cannabis growers serve about 100,000 patients, according to the Office of Cannabis Policy. Combined, medical and recreational cannabis revenues are about $500 million a year in Maine.
The bill will come up for votes in the coming days as lawmakers work toward an April 15 adjournment date.
