A new coalition of public health and child advocacy organizations called the Alliance for Responsible Cannabis in Maine is backing a bill that would require testing for potency and contaminants in the medical cannabis market.
Democratic Representative Marc Malon, the bill's sponsor, said such testing is already required for recreational cannabis, and Maine is far behind national standards.
"In fact, out of dozens of states with medical cannabis programs, Maine is the only one that doesn't require testing," Malon said.
An audit by Maine's Office of Cannabis Policy found that more than 40% of medical cannabis samples contained contaminants, including pesticides, mold, and heavy metals.
But Tammy Smith of Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine said the testing system for the recreational market is flawed and needs to be fixed before requiring testing in the medical market.
The Alliance for Responsible Cannabis in Maine is also calling for greater efforts to prevent underage use. Child psychiatrist Dr. Amy Mayhew says cannabis has become highly potent and can alter brain development in children.
"I have to tell you that the reason I got interested in this is the explosion of kids that I was seeing that had become psychotic, with no family history, due to cannabis use," Mayhew said.
Democratic Representative Anne Graham has introduced a bill that would establish a potency cap for medical cannabis as well as a stakeholder group to study strategies to reduce youth cannabis use.
