Taking a Break in Maine? Here’s How You Can Find Marijuana Dispensaries
As state laws relax restrictions around cannabis use and more medical experts publicly encourage it, marijuana is quickly becoming a respected drug that most people can turn to to help with a huge variety of issues and concerns, outside of strict medical use. However, not all states are on the same page yet.
Maine is steadily making progress, and all uses of marijuana for medical purposes are available. Recreational use is starting to take hold, but regulations require medical permission.
Regardless, if you’re looking for a dispensary in Maine, you’ll be able to find what you need.
Medical Uses of Cannabis in Maine
Maine requires presentation of ID and a medical marijuana card in order to purchase any marijuana product from any dispensary. Medicinal use of marijuana has a long and complicated history, but there is now overwhelming evidence that shows the beneficial uses of marijuana, for a huge variety of conditions.
Medical treatments that include marijuana range from treatment for depression, to chronic pain relief and reduction of chronic seizures. The most long standing use of marijuana for medical treatment is to help relieve chronic pain, particularly from serious conditions like fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and cystitis. Beyond that, marijuana still has an impressive list of uses for medical purposes. It’s also a less-aggressive muscle relaxant, and can reduce tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease. It’s effective at treating symptoms of epilepsy, notably by reducing the number of seizures a person has. It’s also shown promise as part of treatments for autism, early Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer.
Medical marijuana is slightly less controlled than standard prescription drugs, largely due to the huge number of things that it can treat. Doctors are able to write a medical marijuana card which allows for certain uses of marijuana and its products, and expands access to marijuana.
Weed in Maine — Recreational Marijuana
Recreational marijuana is legal in Maine, but with caveats. Unlike in some other states, marijuana in Maine is not treated the same as alcohol. That is, you can’t just walk in and buy weed; however, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get it at all. Essentially, this just means that recreational use is considered responsible, but you do need to have a Medical Marijuana Card (MMJ).
It can seem discouraging, but you can be eligible for a card for a surprising number of conditions. Only medical professionals can make a state account for you, and issue a certificate if you are deemed qualified, which is considered your MMJ card.
While this isn’t a long process (you can have your card sometimes within a few hours), not all doctors in Maine are on board. Maine only reached this point of recreational legalization last year, and some doctors are still unsure about the uses of certain marijuana products. Even so, most will still be open to discussing “anti-cannabis” uses.
Generally, only certain conditions will qualify you for a card. Not to fret, though, as this list covers all of the serious medical reasons, and many others as well, such as: chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and other diseases, Cancer, PTSD, muscle spasms, and seizure disorders. If this isn’t you, you can still talk to your doctor to see if your concerns qualify you for a medical marijuana card.
Other issues that marijuana can help with that are considered recreational uses are weight loss, diabetes regulation, ADHD/ADD treatment for focus, relieving symptoms of PTSD, and curbing alcoholism. Perhaps the most common use of recreational marijuana and the many other products that are made from it is treating chronic anxiety and depression. The TCH in many marijuana products at low doses has been regularly shown to decrease anxiety.
If you have medical permission in one form or another, you can search Maine’s dispensaries and find the one that is best suited to your needs.
History of marijuana in Maine
Maine has had a spottier history than some states on marijuana legalization. Here, most progress has come at the local level, with bigger cities decriminalizing recreational use before the rest of the state. Progress on the issue has still been respectable, with medical legalization passing statewide in 1999, full decriminalization in 2009, and local legalization beginning in 2013. Maine voted to legalize recreational use in 2016, but it has been slow to fully integrate the policy, with dispensaries only authorized to sell any recreational-style products in late 2020.
While Maine’s marijuana history isn’t as straightforward as, say, Colorado’s or California’s, it is still taking steps to allow easier and more convenient access to marijuana products. It’s been open to medical use, and lessened restrictions just last year to allow less standard medical conditions to qualify for marijuana cards.
Regardless of your condition, as long as you have a card, Maine has accessible marijuana dispensaries to suit your needs.