Three medical cannabis bills in Maine are headed to the state’s full Legislature for possible consideration after receiving unanimous approval from the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, according to a local WABI report.
The legislation would ensure patients have access to telehealth services and allow caregivers to sell medical cannabis plants, the news outlet reported.
One of the bills would also require legislative review of the Office of Marijuana Policy’s (OMP) changes in administrative rules that protect patient or caregiver privacy, according to WABI.
“The Office of Marijuana Policy is working with the community and listening to us,” Paul McCarrier, a member of the Cannabis Council of Maine, told the news outlet. “They’re going to be working with us to keep the prices for patients fair and low and to make sure that patients can continue to access that therapeutic cannabis.”
The bills now advance to the full Legislature.
OMP officials have been working with cannabis industry stakeholders to draft a revised set of rules for the market after scrapping their most recent set of proposed rule changes following industry backlash.
The OMP has established a 17-member working group to develop ways to streamline medical cannabis licensing and compliance, and to better align Maine’s medical cannabis program with state law.