Maine State legislature meets on Thursday March 11th to have the first public session on the new Bill L.D. 1811, I just went over the draft bill which incorporates the Task Force recommendations. Pretty much a hatchet job from what actually passed last November. Patients that grow their own will be subject to an inspection with 24-hr prior notice. That inspection would be performed by someone from the Department of Health and Human Services. What they don't specify is what they will be able to inspect; grow op, entire home, property, if your a caregiver your records if any. This portion was done specifically to keep patients from wanting to grow their own, more big brother action.
That's OK, what they will ultimately do is push patients with paperwork back into the underground. Remember, having the paperwork without having the card still affords protection, just at a different level.DHHS can kiss my ass, they will be the last people walking through my house. The new bill does not spell out if clones can be bought from dispensaries, it does not describe plant sizes; is an unrooted clone a plant? Six plant limit with no description as to what constitutes a plant. People will simply move their clones somewhere else in order to sustain a continous grow op with at least a couple of different strains.
There is also no provision if someone requires more meds than they can grow with a 6 plant limit. Do the math, it doesn't work well, you keep a mom, maybe 3 in flower on a 20 day rotation, and at some point you have to take cuttings to clone. Do you do this earlier than is needed to ensure you have success, if not your back to taking more cuttings and your 20 days rotation is screwed, or you take a few extra to ensure a healthy plant is started and your in violation of grow limits. Not to mention if you would like to grow two different strains because maybe in a case like me I need a certain type med for daytime and another for nights when I can't sleep.
Taking cuttings of plants going into flower and keeping no moms is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Yes it works but a lot of people are not up to speed enough to guarantee success and these people are going to be counting on having their meds available. As a minimum this should be a 6 and 6 deal. 6 immature plants say under 12" by 12" and 6 mature or flowering plants.
I will be attending the public sessions so if anyone from Maine would like something asked, I will be speaking and would consider asking it on your behalf. I myself will be addressing the plant limits and trying to get at least unrooted clones classified as "not plants" and on the specifics of what DHHS can request to see once inside your home. The whole inspection thing really pisses me off, their reasoning is to observe for compliance. Well if you have any proof or suspicion there is none-compliance there are avenues to conduct that search, it's called a search warrant. Do we inspect everyone's home where they make beer and wine which is covered by state law, hell no. Could they be producing and selling that wine, hell yes.