[420 Girl]

In the 2009 November elections, Maine voters passed a referendum expanding the current medical marijuana laws and enabling the State to develop a distribution system consisting of store-front dispensaries much akin to other States like California, Rhode Island and Colorado.
However the bill passed by voters looks ominously different than the current "Emergency Rules" adopted by a Maine Legislative Task Force. The large difference is the State's consolidation of dispensaries into the 8 Health Care Zones determined by the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill passed by voters allowed for any non-profit company who paid an application fee of $5000 to register with the State of Maine DHHS as a legal medical marijuana dispensary.
"What the State did to slowly roll out the law seemed like a necessary move, as no one wants the current problems associated with California and Colorado." Said Marty Macisso, CEO of the Compassionate Caregivers of Maine, a Maine-based non-profit agency linking qualified patients with State licensed caregivers. "However, when they essentially monopolized the law, and outsourced it to a California-backed organization...I think they really missed both the spirit and letter of the law that was passed by the People."
Macisso is referring to the State of Maine's decision to award 4 of the 8 available dispensary licenses to only one organization, the Northeast Patients Group. This group was funded and organized by the California based company, the Berkley Patients Group.
"It’s bad enough that the industry was monopolized by only one entity but this decision also sends potentially millions of dollars in revenue to the State of California and it makes little common sense to many Maine citizens." said Macisso "You can't tell me that Maine-based non-profits do not have the business savvy to run a company, but that’s exactly what the State is saying with this decision."
It remains to be seen what the State will do to address the concerns of many of its constituents who are unhappy with the allocation of dispensary licenses and consolidation of the medical marijuana market.


NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: TeatroNaturale.com
Author: S.C.
Contact: TeatroNaturale.com
Copyright: 2010 Teatro Naturale International n. 9 Year 2
Website:California backed marijuana dispensaries to pull revenue out of maine


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