It is a matter of life and death that Maine legislators put forth a bill in the upcoming legislative session to enact comprehensive changes to the regulations of Maine’s $280 million medical marijuana industry.

The Oct. 31 Press Herald article “Gray market weed: Illegal grow house operators and their tainted product take refuge in Maine’s legal market” exposed how Maine’s lax laws have allowed Chinese criminal organizations to legally supply dangerously toxic cannabis grown in rural Maine to the state’s medical marijuana sellers. Ironically, Maine’s recreational cannabis market is better regulated, with mandatory testing for mold and chemicals. The medical cannabis industry, however, has successfully blocked similar testing requirements.

Additionally, in Maine, medical cannabis is available to 18- to 20-year-olds. Maine has no qualifying medical conditions to obtain a medical marijuana card. Maine’s young adults can legally access large amounts of high-potency cannabis from multiple outlets. This is a serious public health concern, as their brains are still developing. In contrast, recreational cannabis purchases are restricted to those ages 21 and over.

The time to act is now. Maine’s legislators must introduce a bill to keep Mainers, including young adults, safer and to prevent foreign criminal enterprises from profiting by making people sick.

Helen Hemminger
Scarborough