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Mainers
for Medical Rights
44 Exchange Street
Suite 201
Portland, ME 04101
800.846.1039
207.780.0704
info@mainers.org
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The
1999 Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative...
What it doesn't...
- Doesn't Legalize
Marijuana
Strictly speaking, "legalizing" marijuana would mean creating a system to sell
and distribute it. The initiative does not, and cannot, go that far. Instead,
it protects eligible patients who acquire or grow their own limited supply of
marijuana against the threat of criminal punishments. The initiative tightly regulates
who may qualify as a patient to possess marijuana for medical use, and what a
patient must do to take advantage of this special exemption. No one who wishes
to use marijuana recreationally can qualify for the protections.
- Doesn't
Allow Just Anyone To Claim "Medical" Use Of Marijuana
The initiative spells out a narrow range of medical conditions for which medical
use of marijuana is permitted, such as nausea resulting from chemotherapy treatment
for cancer. In addition to having one of the diseases mentioned, a patient must
be able to prove that the patient was advised by a doctor that marijuana use may
be beneficial to the patient's treatment. If a patient's doctor does not believe
marijuana might be beneficial, that person does not qualify under the initiative
as a medical user of marijuana.
- Doesn't Allow
Unlimited Supplies Of Marijuana
Even patients who have a listed medical condition and have been advised by their
doctors that marijuana might help must still adhere to strict limits on the quantity
they possess. A patient can have no more than 1 ¼ ounces - almost enough to fill
a sandwich bag - to remain exempt. In addition, a patient who chooses to cultivate
a few plants to ensure a steady supply of marijuana must have no more than three
mature plants - plants that can produce usable marijuana - out of a total of six
permitted.
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