Time for recreational cannabis use is coming, but this bill is just wrong: Vote No on 1

The time to legalize the use of recreational marijuana may have finally come, but this is the wrong law to do it.
First, the law is poorly written, ambiguous in much of its wording and open to changes that could hurt Mainers, including the medical marijuana community and the patients they serve.
Second, law enforcement tools to cope with a possible spike in recreational usage aren't in place, and would have to be written codified and enacted "on the run" rather than carefully thought out, vetted and refined.
A yes on 1 would force the state to enact a physical test for drugged driving to be used by police before the science behind the test is fully vetted.
In Colorado, and likely in Maine if recreational use is legalized, a statute will call for a drugged driving violation if a person's blood shows 5 nanograms of THC, the active ingredient that produces the high in marijuana.
"That makes no sense," says Tom Bossom of Sprinvale, a caregiver. "The person could have a much higher THC than that and be fine behind the wheel. It's when the THC falls back that their driving is more apt to be impaired."
Even David Boyer, campaign manager for Yes on 1, said recently the THC limits on the table now don't make sense, especially since marijuana stays in a user's system for up to a month, while alcohol does for just a matter of hours.
The fact is that pro-recreational marijuana forces are all about big business and not what's best for Maine.

And that big business will very likely drive caregivers out of business who cater to many young children who suffer from seizures and whose medical cannabis often carries no THC, or psychoactive cannabis.
Their medical marijuana costs could easily soar if caregivers - who are restricted in their profits - are forced out of business by the R.J. Reynolds of recreational marijuana.
And lastly, we all know that once government gets into the act, the regulations just keep on coming. Now, of course, if you're big business, you can afford to play this game. You're making more money. But if you're a little guy like a caregiver who can only sell to five patients ... well, you get the point. They'll drop out like flies, leaving many medical cannabis patients with fewer caregivers and higher costs.
Lastly, proponents of Question 1 say wouldn't you rather have government regulating the sale of recreational marijuana than some gangster on the corner? Wouldn't you feel better about knowing regulators were making sure the ingredients in your marijuana were safe, pure and not harmful, or laced with some poison.
Oh, you mean like formaldehyde and dozens of other carcinogens in cigarettes, which the government allows?
Think about it.
The Lebanon Voice urges a No on Question 1.