Cannabis regulators in Maine are recruiting members to serve on a new workgroup tasked with advising the state on its medical marijuana program. Dubbed the Marijuana Working Group, the newly formed panel will consist of civic officials, industry representatives, caregivers, and medical marijuana patients who will make recommendations to Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) with the goal of improving the state’s medicinal cannabis program.
On Friday, OMP director Erik Gundersen announced the formation of the new working group in a press release from the agency.
“We look forward to the opportunity presented by convening a group of well-qualified individuals in pursuit of a shared goal to both preserve patient access and support the regulated marketplace,” said Gundersen.
Maine legalized medical marijuana in 1999, while cannabis was legalized in the state for use by adults in 2016. Governor Janet Mills created the OMP as part of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services to regulate both medicinal and recreational cannabis in 2019.
Prohibitionist Need Not Apply
The Marijuana Working Group will be composed of representatives of the OMP and at least 16 volunteer external members, with all but two seats on the panel reserved for members of the medical marijuana community. Five seats are reserved for registered caregivers, and three more will be filled by qualifying medical marijuana patients. The medical marijuana industry will also be represented on the workgroup, including two seats to be filled by a registered dispensary, one by a marijuana testing facility, and another by a cannabis products manufacturer.
The working group’s membership will be rounded out by two health care professionals with a relevant area of expertise and two representatives of municipal governments. To be qualified for the