Maine lawmakers have rejected a bill to require medical cannabis products sold in the state to be tracked and tested, News Center Maine reports. The bill failed in the House on Monday, 74-71, with five lawmakers absent.
The proposal by Rep. Anne Graham (D), who is also a nurse practitioner, included provisions to provide state assistance to medical cannabis producers who make less than $125,000 annually to help cover the testing costs.
Shanna Souza, owner of Homegrown of Augusta, said that the state would “lose a good 200-300″ medical cannabis caregivers if the bill were to become law. Currently, there are an estimated 1,600 medical cannabis caregivers in the state.
During debate on the legislation, which is opposed by medical cannabis activists, Rep. David Boyer (R) asked, “Where are the bodies? Where is the harm?”
“The patients aren’t asking for this. They are asking to kill the bill.” — Boyer, during debate, via News Center Maine
The proposal will still get heard by the Senate, where it was tabled on Monday following the House vote.
In 2018, the state updated its medical cannabis rules to include annual inspections and testing samples for products sold in dispensaries, according to a Maine Morning Star report, but those rules do not apply to caregivers.
