I am writing in response to your recent report on Maine Professionals for Regulating Marijuana, who are urging stricter oversight of pot. Should Maine voters legalize its recreational use when we go to the polls in a few weeks, the last thing we need is more government regulation.

We are just emerging from a 79-year era of government marijuana regulation for which there is zero evidence that the regulation has helped anyone deal with ingesting it. After telling folks all sorts of bad things will happen to them should they try it, we are now saying it can be good for you if your doctor says so. Why add more misinformation via regulation?

In fact, marijuana is a multibillion-dollar crop, and like bananas or olive oil, the marketplace will regulate both quality and price if we let it. Since the federal government continues to distort the situation, the people, especially those who don’t use marijuana, feel a need to regulate those who do, but by regulating it, we perpetuate misinformation.

Unfortunately, most lawmakers do not have the courage to expose misinformation, so we are likely to bumble along with the federal government saying one thing about marijuana and doctors saying another. Not a good place to put the doctors or the patients.

Possibly the print media could encourage dialogue on the issue so that useful information might emerge from the residue of regulation.

James Tierney, MSW

Brunswick

Copy the Story Link