Legal Recreational Marijuana in Maine Raises Concerns About the Future of Medical Use

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The state of Maine recently legalized recreational marijuana use, with a few caveats. Retail sale is not yet allowed, and won’t be until February 2018, which means that while adults over the age of 21 can use and own up to 2.5 ounces, they can’t buy it in a store like they can in Washington and some other states. They can, however, grow up to six mature plants and 12 immature plants at a time, meaning that for the first year, recreational weed in the state will be homegrown.

While many in Maine are celebrating, and around the country it’s another feather in the cap of the national movement to legalize weed, there are some who are concerned about it, not that it will cause the downfall of the state, but that it could negatively impact medical marijuana in Maine.

The concern follows Governor Paul LePage’s executive order, signed in late January of 2017, which puts marijuana under the purview of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, with a view toward keeping it out of the hands of minors. While recreational cannabis isn’t allowed for people under 21, there are instances in which minors need access to the drug for medicinal use.

“I understand why he did it,” said Zachary Dulac, the owner of a licensed cannabis seed bank that provides seeds to medical marijuana patients. “He’s trying to protect the youth from picking up a pot habit too soon. But the problem with signing this is that there are some youth out there that definitely need it…something has to stick on the books to protect kids under 21 that need it.”

Some fear that placing medical marijuana under the aegis of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations may jeopardize medical use in favor of recreational use.

“If the recreational becomes so popular, do they stop the medical end of it?” asked Dulac. “Are patients going to be forgotten? Is it just going to be about the weekend party versus truly helping someone?”

While this fear does seem reasonable, medical marijuana has not yet vanished in states that have legalized it for recreational use, so there could still be hope. Maine is going to be a state to watch, however, in order to see what kinds of effect recreational legalization could have on medical use.