Much of the most important work in the Maine Legislature happens in our committees. I am fortunate to serve on two: the Housing and Economic Development Committee and Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. In this column, I want to talk about my work on the latter.

In Veterans and Legal Affairs, we tackle a wide array of issues that do not appear at first glance to be related. As you might infer from the name, we work on veterans’ issues, specifically as they pertain to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services, which oversees programs to assist Maine veterans with employment and educational opportunities, in addition to efforts to improve veterans’ mental health services and reduce homelessness. We also oversee parts of the Maine National Guard and work with Maine Veterans’ Homes, which was created by legislative action, and are part of ongoing conversations to ensure that they have the funding they need to be able to fulfill their mission of providing excellent care in all parts of the state.

The committee also handles all issues related to elections and campaign finance. The right to vote and to have your vote counted in a free and fair election is, in my opinion, the most sacred of the rights afforded to us in the U.S. Constitution. To protect this right, we work with the Secretary of State’s Office to ensure that they have what they need to administer our elections effectively in partnership with our municipal clerks.

It also means that we have had to debate voting rights policies, and this session is no different. The Secretary of State’s Office is reviewing petitions submitted for a Citizen’s Initiative, which would require voters to show ID at the polls and severely restrict absentee voting. While ID requirements tend to poll favorably, the reality is they do not work well. This policy would restrict Mainers’ freedom to vote and significantly hurt seniors and rural Mainers. Maine has one of the country’s highest voter participation rates, and our elections are free, fair and secure. This policy would take us backward.

The committee also oversees regulations in three areas that significantly impact state revenues: gambling and lottery, liquor and other alcoholic beverages, and medical and recreational cannabis. These policy areas can also be quite controversial, as they have implications for public health and safety.

My philosophy on these issues is to try to maintain a balanced approach. In gaming, I view every proposed expansion on a case-by-case basis. While I do not want to see a large proliferation of casinos, the Wabanaki Nations should get to open a casino if they so choose. While online sports betting has been popular, we have also seen a spike in problem gambling nationwide, and I am concerned that further iGaming expansion would worsen the problem.

With alcohol regulation, I try to balance support for Maine’s craft brewing and distilling industries and support for Maine restaurants with the real risks that alcohol consumption can pose. The state negotiates a liquor contract with a distributor and sells at agency liquor stores – which include most of our supermarkets – and the committee examines policies connected to this.

And then there is cannabis. I am not kidding when I say that I have been yelled at more over this issue than any other (including abortion, guns and other hot-button topics). I strongly support legal weed and believe that cannabis prohibition is harmful. But bringing an industry into a sound, properly regulated marketplace is challenging, especially with federal prohibition still on the books.

My biggest cannabis priority is testing. Most normal people I speak with are shocked when they learn that we have mandatory testing (for potency and harmful pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals and microbial) for recreational cannabis but no such requirement for medical. Given the needs and underlying medical conditions of medical cannabis patients, most people assume it would be the other way around. Maine’s medical program is the only legal cannabis program in the country without mandatory testing. This needs to change.

The state’s regulator, the Office of Cannabis Policy, has drafted a bill to fix this, and I am the legislative sponsor. I expect that it will be vigorously debated. I am open to suggestions on how to strengthen the bill, but I am firm in my belief that testing is necessary for patients’ health and for a strong and vibrant medical cannabis program.

This mix of issues is eclectic but very important. I look forward to the work ahead.

Rep. Marc Malon is serving his second term in the Maine House, representing a portion of Biddeford. He serves as a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and the Housing and Economic Development Committee. He can be reached via email at marc.malon@legislature.maine.gov.