Maine has had medical marijuana since 199 and in 2009 the law was changed for the better, adding dispensaries to ME. So far, there are nearly two thousand patients registered to the ME Medical Use of Marijuana Program. The program is overseen by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. All patients and caregivers are registered through their system. ME is one of the medical marijuana states that allows home cultivation. Patients are allowed to grow up to 6 mature marijuana plants at a time. Patients are allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces at a time and even a non-medical patient possessing under 2.5 ounces would only face a civil fine with no jail time.
How to you apply for a medical cannabis card in Maine?
You just have to have a debilitating medical condition that qualifies for medical marijuana in Maine. All doctors and nurses in good standing in ME can recommend marijuana to patients who qualify. It’s up to the physician to register online with the Maine Medical use of Marijuana Program.
If they determine, a patient qualifies for medical marijuana, they must go on the programs website and print a certificate for the patient. After this the patient just needs to take the certificate to the dispensary they plan to receive their medicine from. From there, patients will just have to fill out a simple form at the dispensary before being able to make purchases.
What conditions qualify for Medical Marijuana in Maine?
Here is the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify for medical marijuana in ME:
- Chronic pain that has not responded to conventional therapy for more than six months
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)
- Alzheimer’s
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Crohn’s disease
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C (active form)
- HIV
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
- Seizure disorders
- Severe muscle spasms (including multiple sclerosis and other diseases causing severe and persistent muscle spasms)
- Severe nausea
Can qualifying conditions be added to the list?
The ME Department of Health and Human Services can add to the list of qualifying conditions. In fact, they added to the list in 2009 when they updated their medical marijuana laws.
Where can you find a medical marijuana doctor in Maryland?
Sinve August of 2014, any M.D., D.O., or C.N.P in ME can recommend cannabis to qualifying patients.
Where are the dispensaries in Maine?
There are currently eight dispensaries operating in ME. The state’s current medical marijuana laws require at least 5 to be operational at a time. The list of dispensaries under the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program can be found on the state’s government website.
What can I get at a Maine dispensary?
In Maine you can purchase marijuana in its smokable flower form, edibles, tinctures, and concentrates.
Are medical patients in Maine protected from discrimination?
Employees who are qualifying patients and primary caregivers cannot be discriminated against by an employer “solely for that person’s status as a qualifying patient or primary caregiver.” However, employers are not required to allow qualifying patients to ingest marijuana or be under its influence while at the workplace.
The future of Maine’s Medical Marijuana Program.
Last year Maine’s medical cannabis sales totaled $16.2M, and that number is on the rise. There will be more dispensaries opened shortly, and the list of qualifying conditions may be added to as more research on the medical marijuana surfaces. ME residents will be voting for recreational marijuana on their November ballot.
