Maine

News

After a car crash Saturday in Manchester, Maine, police seized 48 grams of a white powdery substance found in the glove compartment.

GARDINER, Maine (AP) -- A medical marijuana businessman in Maine is offering weed for weeds in a program to encourage Gardiner residents to clean up their city.

A Gardiner medical marijuana caregiver says dozens of people took part in a cleanup Saturday in which he and other growers provided a gram of marijuana for every bag of trash collected on city streets by participants.

A leader of the group opposed to marijuana legalization said Monday that it will request a recount of votes on the statewide ballot question that passed by a narrow margin last week.

Letters

As a mother, I understand the fears about legalizing marijuana. Parents want the best for our children.

Every day, an average of more than 80 Americans die from opioid overdoses. The number of Maine residents seeking treatment for opiate abuse has tripled since 2010, and the number of babies born affected by prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol increased by 68 percent between 2010 and 2014.

Regarding Scott Gagnon's May 7 BDN blog post, the drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society as a whole does, too.

L.D. 1739, "An Act To Amend the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act," was returned to the Legislature's Committee on Health and Human Services on Feb. 11, after parents and patients expressed concern with the language about "kief" as well as other concerns.

Last week, the media reported about the precipitous and unexpected decline of MaineCare patients receiving prescription opiates for pain management (Bangor Daily News, Feb. 27).

Editor, Colorado Re-legalized cannabis (marijuana) over a year ago and the sky hasn't fallen. Maine citizens will witness the same in Portland (City Officials Say Discretion Will Play Major Role in Marijuana Enforcement, Dec. 6, 2013) and legalize the God-given plant throughout the state. It's not a matter of if but rather when. Further, Police Chief Michael Sauschuck is mistaken, the federal government erroneously labels cannabis a Schedule I substance alongside heroin while cocaine and meth are only Schedule II substances. For credibility, Congress should reschedule cannabis immediately.

As I like to say, anything is a drug if you treat it like a drug. We all know marijuana is an excellent relaxant and stimulant, such as tea. I know alcohol abuse will go down and keep Portland even safer.

This letter is in response to a March 29 column called " Marijuana legalization: An easy way out, " by Dr. Robert Q. Dana at the University of Maine. Dana apparently assumes drug prohibition keeps people from using drugs.

Opinions

Maine voters are deciding on six referendums this election. Here are The Times Record's endorsements.

I've spent my 50-year career in public safety and the military trying to protect and keep people safe. Some of the most challenging things I have dealt with were not actions of individuals but the consequences of political decisions. With Question 1, which would legalize recreational marijuana, you get to decide whether this law goes into effect. If it does, I can assure you the unintended consequences will be many.

This paper acknowledges "the U.S.'s long war on drugs has been a dismal failure." On November 8, Maine voters will have the opportunity adopt a rational marijuana policy.

We disagree with your recent editorial supporting Question 1. I am currently president of the Maine Medical Association, consisting of over 4,000 Maine physicians and physicians-in-training. In furtherance of our mission to protect public health, we urge voters to oppose Question 1.

Papers