PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine has become the fifth state to allow dispensaries where marijuana can be distributed to medical patients.
But medical marijuana advocates say Maine won't become like Los Angeles, where hundreds of dispensaries have popped up and come under critical scrutiny.
Ethan Nadelmann of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance says Maine's law has stricter provisions than California's.
He says Maine dispensaries will be licensed by the state, unlike those in California, and that Maine narrowly defines medical conditions for which patients can be prescribed pot, while California allows doctors to recommend it for virtually any ailment.
Nonetheless, the director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency says the state lacks proper oversight and control.
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