Kennebec Journal, 29 Dec 2011 – Dispensary Will See Patients Full Time Starting Next Month HALLOWELL — A city medical marijuana dispensary started seeing patients by appointment before Christmas and plans to open full time next month.

Kennebec Journal, 29 Dec 2011 – Dispensary Will See Patients Full Time Starting Next Month HALLOWELL — A city medical marijuana dispensary started seeing patients by appointment before Christmas and plans to open full time next month.

Morning Sentinel, 28 Dec 2011 – On two occasions, Maine voters have authorized medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. This was not a vote to legalize recreational marijuana use, but an attempt to treat the herb as much like a medicine as possible. Operators of the newest dispensary in Portland should keep that in mind and not take advantage of Mainers’ compassion. Unfortunately, that’s not what they are advertising.

Morning Sentinel, 28 Dec 2011 – On two occasions, Maine voters have authorized medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. This was not a vote to legalize recreational marijuana use, but an attempt to treat the herb as much like a medicine as possible. Operators of the newest dispensary in Portland should keep that in mind and not take advantage of Mainers’ compassion. Unfortunately, that’s not what they are advertising.

Morning Sentinel, 28 Dec 2011 – On two occasions, Maine voters have authorized medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. This was not a vote to legalize recreational marijuana use, but an attempt to treat the herb as much like a medicine as possible. Operators of the newest dispensary in Portland should keep that in mind and not take advantage of Mainers’ compassion. Unfortunately, that’s not what they are advertising.

Morning Sentinel, 28 Dec 2011 – On two occasions, Maine voters have authorized medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. This was not a vote to legalize recreational marijuana use, but an attempt to treat the herb as much like a medicine as possible. Operators of the newest dispensary in Portland should keep that in mind and not take advantage of Mainers’ compassion. Unfortunately, that’s not what they are advertising.

Times Record, 23 Oct 2010 – I believe James Friedlander’s proposal to legalize, regulate and control drugs is the correct course of action ("A modest proposal: Should we legalize drugs?" commentary, Oct. 8). Drug prohibition doesn’t work any better than alcohol prohibition did. After 40 years and a trillion-dollars worth of Nixon’s "war on drugs," drugs are cheaper, more potent and more available than ever. We also get the added bonus of ever-increasing prohibition-related violence as drug dealers fight over the market. Drug dealers don’t kill each other, and innocent bystanders, because they are high any more than Al Capone killed rival bootleggers because he was drunk. It’s the money.

Times Record, 14 Oct 2010 – Despite Melissa Fochesato’s claims, there is no evidence whatsoever that allowing dispensaries results in increased marijuana use by teens. ("Sagadahoc teens like pot better than butts; Study results alarm local substance abuse counselors," Oct. 4). It’s been less than a year since Maine voters decided to allow dispensaries, so there is still no data that would allow one to draw such a conclusion.

Times Record, 14 Oct 2010 – Teenagers should not be using cigarettes, alcohol or cannabis (marijuana) but teens are choosing cannabis over cigarettes for a number of reasons the article "Sagadahoc Teens Like Pot Better Than Butts" published in your newspaper on Oct. 4 didn’t mention. Teens are more easily able to purchase cannabis because it is illegal, unregulated and sold on the black market by people who don’t card for age. Teens have gotten the message that cigarettes are among the most addictive substances on the planet and they kill more than 1,000 Americans daily.

The Free Press, 07 Oct 2010 – The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2009, there were 858,405 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a long overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As long as organized crime controls distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition.