Is Maine Really Going to Recognize Cannabis and Hemp as a Food?

So there a bit more to unpack here than it sounds.

And that's true for all sides of this argument. So the idea that Maine is thinking of weed and hemp as food isn't quite accurate. Like, not literally in the sense it's showing up in restaurants or something. The heart of the matter is growing it here in Maine, ando how much. Maine has a pretty broad legal scope on cannabis. It's legal to own, grow, and possess. It's still quite regulated on how it's sold, for obvious reasons.

But should it be classified as a "food" so that people who grow it for themselves medicinally can grow as much as they need with no limit? That seems to be the heart of this matter. Maine's Right to Food Act basically says Mainers can grow as much food as they feel they need to sustain themselves. But currently, you can only grow 6 cannabis plants per person, under our current recreational and medicinal use laws.

So what's the issue?

Supporters of the measure feel that over-regulation will lead to more difficulty getting the medicine they need. And some opponents of the bill say it would completely crush the state's current cannabis commercial market, if it's just open season. Other opponents say it could force cannabis into communities that strongly oppose it as a retail business, according to News Center Maine.

Opponents at the state level say that if cannabis is recognized as food, then there would no longer be any real oversight at the state level. Anyone with access to Maine could come in and do whatever they want. And who's to say that all that cannabis would stay in Maine? It has the potential to fuel the black market elsewhere.

It all sounds messy to me. Maybe some adjustments could be made for private cultivation? It seems like a highly charged and paradoxical situation. It's days like this I'm glad I said too many dumb things on Myspace to ever be an elected official. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Let's have a chuckle about all this weed business...