Category Archives: marijuana

New poll shows Maine marijuana initiative is losing support

The Bangor Daily News reported late last night that a new Critical Insights poll conducted this past march showed 55% of respondents, a mix of registered voters and likely voters, favored legalizing marijuana.  The questions regarding marijuana legalization in the poll were funded by the Marijuana Policy Project, in other words, the marijuana industry.  As I […]

The failed promises of marijuana legalization, cautionary tales for Maine

BDN File

If you’ve been following this column, and my comment section and page visits makes clear many of you are, you know I’ve written extensively about the failure of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington.  Well, this week has seen multiple stories highlighting yet more negative consequences from legalization along with failed promises from legalization advocates. […]

Marijuana would worsen, not improve, the opiate crisis

Back in October 2015, U.S Attorney Thomas Delahanty recruited around 3 dozen professionals from around Maine to sit on the three task forces making up the Maine Opiate Collaborative.  The law enforcement, treatment, and prevention task forces were to charged with developing comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to address the worsening heroin crisis.  Along with my fellow […]

Overruling of Secretary of State will encourage more fraud in citizen’s initiative process

Good Saturday to you, after a bit of a blogging sabbatical I am back. In case you missed the news (which would be hard because Maine media outlets have been posting articles to social media practically every hour), Justice Murphy overruled the Secretary of State’s invalidation of the marijuana referendum petition.  The initiative is now […]

Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol petition drive should be investigated

BDN File

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to hear of the news that the petition from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol was ruled invalid and would not qualify for the November 2016 ballot. This is great news for communities and public health in Maine.  This result provides some solace that, at least for another election cycle, […]

Marijuana legalization supporters attempt to silence opposition through intimidation and stigma

The other Bangor Daily News blog that writes about marijuana, Cannabis Today, published an article bemoaning “simplistic rhetoric.” In her article, Wellness Connection’s Becky DeKeuster takes issue with Representative Deborah Sanderson’s reference to the potential Wal-Martization of the marijuana industry in Maine. Wellness Connection, which runs half of Maine’s dispensaries, takes issue with that label. More […]

Maine medical marijuana industry seeking to cash in on the heroin epidemic

BDN File

It has been heartening to see all of the efforts and initiatives start up across Maine to address the heroin crisis.  Police departments and sheriff’s departments are looking to start up referral and diversion programs to get people suffering into treatment.  Public health coalitions are setting up forums to put together plans to implement in […]

Maine passes addiction bill; what it means and what it doesn’t mean

In an inspiring display of unity, the Maine House and Senate both unanimously passed the $3.7 million addiction bill which was then quickly signed by Governor Paul Lepage. Within a couple of short hours, Maine had adopted a comprehensive, bi-partisan bill to address the increasingly dire addiction epidemic in Maine. One of the questions that remained […]

Maine’s new medical marijuana in schools law poses risks that must be addressed

As has been reported, the Auburn School Committee formally adopted a policy for implementing Maine’s new medical marijuana law for children in schools. The law that was passed in the 2015 sessions, allows for students who have medical marijuana certifications, to have the drug administered by a parent or primary caregiver on school property. It specifically does […]

Maine’s bipartisan addiction bill is a good first step

As a Certified Prevention Specialist with a decade of experience in the field, I support the bi-partisan addiction bill LR 2599. I support this act because as a seasoned prevention professional, I’ve seen this story before. It is a story that has been told all too often. Just a few short years ago the story […]