Thousands of Mainers use cannabis to relieve everything from epileptic seizures to Lou Gehrig’s disease-related muscle spasms to chronic pain from car or workplace accidents.

Advocates want cannabis to be accepted as a medicine – but a Portland event touted as a place for patients to connect with caregivers didn’t fit that framework, and city councilors made the right choice this week when they denied a permit to the organizers of the New England Cannabis Farmers Market.

First set in 1970, marijuana's classification under the Controlled Substances Act has become increasingly out of step with scientific research, public opinion, medical use and state law. 2012 Press Herald file photo/Gabe Souza

The event, planned for Deering Oaks on Aug. 9, had received preliminary approval from the City Council last month. On Monday, however, councilors revisited the permit request in order to explore issues raised by event advertising.

Radio ads suggested that doctors would be available at the medical cannabis festival to consult with people who aren’t registered patients. Meanwhile, a poster promoting the event promised “hundreds of strains, buds, tinctures, ointments, concentrates, edibles, clones, live glass blowing, music, cannabis testing and more!”

It sounds like a good time in the park. In fact, a similar event at Deering Oaks – the 2012 Atlantic CannaFEST – drew an enthusiastic crowd and spurred no major complaints to city police.

And patients do need a safe, neutral venue for finding a caregiver they’re comfortable with. (Caregivers supply an estimated 70 percent of Maine’s medical cannabis.)

Especially for those new to medical cannabis, there’s no doubt that it’s intimidating to think about driving a long distance to meet with a stranger who’s running a home growing operation, as an organizer of the New England Cannabis Farmers Market told the Press Herald. But is a public festival with lots of foot traffic and interruptions really the best place for nervous novice patients and suppliers to connect?

Granted, the final permit application would have banned onsite marijuana use at the event. But based on the promotional material – which suggested that cannabis products would be available for sale and consumption at the festival – Portland officials had legitimate concerns about the event’s intent.

Patients considering any other course of treatment are advised to evaluate the person providing it; they should have that same opportunity when weighing the use of medical cannabis. And although an outdoor party is a fun way to pass the time on a summer weekend, it’s not the setting for finding a caregiver.

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