Under the previous Maine Medical Marijuana program caregivers were limited to a plant count of 30, 6 plants per 5 patient slots. Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §2422, sub-§7-B  proposed a 500 sq. ft. canopy space as an option.
For over a decade Maine’s medical cannabis caregivers have been limited to a set number of flowering plants, 36 (30 for patient slots and 6 for themselves if patients). Giving cannabis cultivators the option of moving to a canopy size would be helpful in a few ways. The most impact would be the ability to pheno hunt many more cultivars. As it stands, only having 30 flowering plants drastically limits you on your cultivar selection process when hunting for a superior phenotype. Ideally you would want to flower out hundreds of plants in order to pick the best genetics. Secondly, flowering more smaller plants allows caregivers to execute a more effective sea of green style of growing. Thirdly, cannabis caregivers can now quadruple the amount of cultivars they offer to their patients. Everyone loves variety!!
Here is the Bill in its entirety:
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An Act To Allow Maine Medical Marijuana Caregivers To Measure Cultivation Limits by Plant Canopy Size
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §2422, sub-§7-B  is enacted to read:
7-B. Plant canopy.    “Plant canopy” means the total surface area within a cultivation area that is dedicated to the cultivation of mature marijuana plants. The surface area of the plant canopy must be calculated in square feet and measured using the outside boundaries of the area and must include all of the area within the boundaries. If the surface area of the plant canopy consists of noncontiguous areas, each component area must be separated by identifiable boundaries. If a tiered or shelving system is used in the cultivation area the surface area of each tier or shelf must be included in calculating the area of the plant canopy. Calculation of the area of the plant canopy may not include the areas within the cultivation area that are used to cultivate immature marijuana plants and seedlings and that are not used at any time to cultivate mature marijuana plants.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2423-A, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2017, c. 452, §4, is further amended to read:
- Cultivate up to 30 mature marijuana plants or 500 square feet of plant canopy, 60 immature marijuana plants and unlimited seedlings;
Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 129th Legislature, First Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.
