[Muleskinner]

these referendums are all tough decisions IMO. I think in Maine and Mass. the approval level is so high it won't matter if cannabis growers vote against it, it's going to pass.

The AUMA referendum in California is such a total dog that I think it will fail. CA has a high Latino population and they vote against MJ reform too. But this Maine law is going to be great for John Q. Homegrower - 6 flowering plants as big as you want, per person, and basically unlimited veg plants. No fees, no registration, no nothing. Mass. will be almost as good with 12 plants of any size decriminalized (I doubt they'll bust people for additional seedlings).

However both Mass. and Maine laws this fall are designed to hook up a small number of current dispensary owners (the out-of-staters). They both include Soviet Communist-like statewide caps on cannabis production. It's designed to hand a production monopoly to a handful of financial supporters. That's how they get enough cash to collect the sigs.

The good thing about Maine is that the existing medical industry has an excellent working relationship with the state legislature. The state has passed bills that help the industry for 6-7 years in a row. I think the state legislature will eventually help loosen the restrictions and caps on the number of commercial growers. I think they'll help protect the 2,700 caregivers too.

In Washington the legislature immediately killed the medical law after the referendum passed. That referendum did not allow home growing though. the horse will be out of the barn in Maine and Mass with the home growing. If the greedy state wants to restrict or drive up the price of herb too much people will just stop buying it and they'll get no tax revenue.

[DuskrayTroubador]

...So from what I'm gathering the new legislation will be handing a few (already rich) cocksuckers big sweet monopolies that are basically in the form of gov contracts (i.e. only so many licensed growers allowed, already determined).

That seems like a shitty commercial system.

BUT I'm also getting the drift that everyone will be allowed 6 flowering plants and the med program will remain untouched. But perhaps current caregivers will lose customers to the dispensaries? I kinda doubt it, but maybe.

My thought process is: if it passes, are mom & pop more or less condemned to the black market? But with shit changing in Mass as well, could the black market suffer as well?

Talk about a sticky situation.

[DuskrayTroubador]

Again, I don't know enough to say I'm for or against the bill, but 36 plants seems like enough to me...

If you get 2lbs per plant that's 72lbs. That's a nice income per year.

[The Southpaw]

I am a legal maine mmj patient.. the caregivers here don't want legalization because it will end their monopoly on sales and thus hurt their sales..
the guy I deal with has never liked any of the legalization talk, lots of bs about how this will only help big business...his goal is to keep me coming to him,,

Maine is 2 different states.. the SE coast ( maine- achusettes) AND the rest of the state..very different dynamics

short growing season outdoors... you will be harvesting before October unless you have a greenhouse.. the 40 degree nights in the beginning of October just slow down ripening too much..

tis a nice place to live..

[Muleskinner]

FYI the language of the referendum was actually written by the lobbyist and others that work directly for the caregivers' association in Maine. MPP tried to run an alternate law that didn't get enough support so they joined with the caregivers' project.

[DuskrayTroubador]

Originally Posted by Muleskinner

FYI the language of the referendum was actually written by the lobbyist and others that work directly for the caregivers' association in Maine. MPP tried to run an alternate law that didn't get enough support so the joined with the caregivers' project.

Caregivers as mom & pop with 36 in the backyard or caregivers as the big corporate folks that supply dispensaries?

[RoostaPhish]

The dispensaries here must grow their own. They are not supplied by anyone else. So they wouldn't be the caregivers referred to. They have no reason to support this actually, seeing as they have a strangle hold on the over the counter system here. For them it would mean more competition.

[Mr Blah]

Originally Posted by DuskrayTroubador

...So from what I'm gathering the new legislation will be handing a few (already rich) cocksuckers big sweet monopolies that are basically in the form of gov contracts (i.e. only so many licensed growers allowed, already determined).

^^^^YUP^^^^^

Originally Posted by DuskrayTroubador

That seems like a shitty commercial system.

VVVVVYa the Med program will remain just like it did in WA..VVVVVVv

Originally Posted by DuskrayTroubador

BUT I'm also getting the drift that everyone will be allowed 6 flowering plants and the med program will remain untouched. But perhaps current caregivers will lose customers to the dispensaries? I kinda doubt it, but maybe.

My thought process is: if it passes, are mom & pop more or less condemned to the black market? But with shit changing in Mass as well, could the black market suffer as well?

Talk about a sticky situation.

Vote NO and end it...put it to rest till a later date.
Ya and Roostaphish; this is my income so it is about money.
JUst want a fighting chance in legal market and with a yes vote, it is guaranteed that a lot of us will shift underground.

[RoostaPhish]

You think your the only one?

[Muleskinner]

I'm sure the caregivers that think they'll be granted one of the limited producer licenses are in support of the law ($$), smaller ones will not like it - they'll have to cross their fingers and hope the state continues the medical law.

The law would be OK if not for caps on the number of producer and retail entities. No such cap exists for alcohol, tobacco, and pharmacies, we should never accept one for cannabis. It will continue the black market. Whoever has the most investor money will just bribe and buy their way into a producer or retailer license.

Still, I would vote yes. if the refendum passes, existing caregivers can go directly to the legislature and push to remove the caps. The legislature has been friendly to them in the past - big time. The legislature has nothing to do with the language of the referendum, they can take out the red pen in 2017 and do whatever they want to the law.