Marijuana is the most readily available and widely abused drug in Maine. While locally produced marijuana is readily available in Maine, most of the marijuana comes from Mexico. No single criminal organization or group dominates Maine's wholesale or retail marijuana market; however, many small- and medium-sized criminal groups are active. In November 1999, voters passed the Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative, Bill LD 2109, authorizing the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes within the state.

Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in Maine. Both MDEA and DEA report that marijuana is the drug of choice in the state. According to a 1998 report by the Maine Task Force on Substance Abuse, approximately 95,000 Maine adults routinely use marijuana. Sixty-five percent of adults aged 26 to 34 and 55 percent aged 35 to 50 report using marijuana at least once in their lifetime. In a 1997 Health Risk Behaviors Among Maine Youth survey, 30 percent of Maine high school students reported using marijuana within the 30 days preceding the survey, compared with 26 percent nationally. Focusing on twelfth graders, the survey found that 59 percent reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime. This prevalent use is reflected in admissions to marijuana treatment programs in Maine, which continue to increase. The number of clients admitted to treatment facilities for marijuana abuse increased steadily from 1995 (856) through September 2000 (1,134).

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Marijuana is available throughout the state according to the DEA and the MDEA. While locally produced marijuana is readily available in Maine; most of the marijuana comes from Canada, Jamaica, and Mexico. MDEA estimates between 50 and 60 percent of the marijuana consumed in Maine is from Mexico, particularly Mexico-grown Sativa, while local growers supply about 25 percent. Some marijuana is also smuggled into Maine from Canada; the higher THC content of this hydroponically cultivated cannabis brings premium prices. Marijuana prices in Portland range from $2 to $5 for a joint (marijuana cigarette) of sinsemilla and from $3 to $5 for a joint of commercial grade marijuana. The widespread availability of marijuana in the state is not reflected in MDEA statistics. MDEA marijuana-related arrests are down from 278 in FY1998 to 253 in FY2000 and seizures are down from 819 kilograms to 163 kilograms during the same time period. However, marijuana arrests continue to make up the bulk of all MDEA arrests, representing 34.7 percent of the arrests in FY2000. The MDEA notes that the drop in arrests and seizures reflects the reallocation of limited resources to investigations involving other drug types, not a decrease in the supply of marijuana.

The use of marijuana for medical purposes is an issue in Maine. In November 1999, Maine voters passed the Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative, Bill LD 2109, authorizing the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes. The law contains several restrictions limiting marijuana use to those suffering from specific, physician-diagnosed conditions. Those conditions include nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite caused by AIDS or chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to treat cancer; glaucoma; epileptic seizures or seizures associated with other chronic diseases; or persistent muscle spasms normally associated with multiple sclerosis or other chronic diseases.

On May 18, 2000, the governor signed into law Bill LD 2580 entitled, "Resolve, Regarding Access To Marijuana For Medical Use." This law directed the Attorney General of Maine to form a task force to study implementation of LD 2109, to recommend steps toward implementation, and to plan ways to provide access to marijuana for this purpose. Further, the law required this task force to report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services and the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice by December 1, 2000. On September 27, 2000, this task force ended its last regularly scheduled meeting without forming a consensus on any of the three implementation approaches under consideration. The Maine legislature was expected to address the issue when it reconvened in 2001.

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Violence

Marijuana abuse normally is not associated with violent behavior. Although the psychological effects of marijuana are dependent on the mood of the user, most individuals experience physical relaxation and sedation. Violence associated with cannabis cultivation in Maine is limited; however, growers often arm themselves or set traps in order to prevent the discovery of their plants. There have been no reports of violence associated with marijuana distribution.

Most marijuana used in Maine is produced in Canada, Jamaica, and Mexico with the bulk being produced in Mexico. Within the state, growers cultivate cannabis indoors and outdoors. Law enforcement officers with Maine's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) eradicated over 130,000 cannabis plants and arrested over 1,200 people during a 10-year period beginning in 1989. In 1999 alone, 11,329 cultivated cannabis plants with an estimated value of $15 million were seized and 216 people were arrested. Cannabis growers have reduced the size of outdoor grows and increased indoor cultivation in response to eradication efforts.

The MDEA considers York County in southern Maine as the primary cannabis growing area within the state. Marijuana labeled "Green Bud" is produced from cannabis cultivated in this area and it sells between $3,000 and $4,000 per pound in the state of Florida. The MDEA considers this marijuana to be of high quality because it is produced from cannabis buds and readily sells for such high prices. Aroostook and Washington Counties in northern Maine also contain many large-scale indoor and outdoor cannabis growing operations. Authorities seized large amounts of cash from York County growers in the last few years indicating the substantial profits generated by cannabis-growing operations in Maine. In June 1998, the Buxton Police Department and the MDEA Lyman Task Force seized $210,000; in an unrelated incident in March 2000, the DEA and the MDEA Lyman Task Force seized $210,000.

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Marijuana is transported to Maine from the Southwest Border area as well as from Florida and Massachusetts, in automobiles, campers, trucks, and by package delivery and mail services. In one MDEA investigation, marijuana distributors paid individuals in Lewiston, Poland, and Monmouth, Maine, to accept 10- to 20-pound packages of marijuana delivered to their homes. Although marijuana is also transported from Canada into Maine, it is impossible to obtain an accurate estimate of the annual quantity and the means of transportation because of the remoteness of the border area and the lack of law enforcement personnel available to patrol it. However, a mid-1990s DEA investigation revealed that traffickers used backpackers to carry marijuana across the border. The backpackers were heavily armed with machine guns and used night vision goggles to aid in their smuggling activities.

Typically, independent Caucasian distribution groups of various sizes operate within the state. In a 1998 investigation, the MDEA focused on a man living in Athens, Maine, (between the Kennebec River and Great Moose Lake), who annually distributed multihundred-pound lots of Jamaican marijuana in Somerset County. This investigation led not only to the seizure of $30,000 in cash and 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of marijuana, but also to the identification of a Jamaican supplier. A 1999 investigation conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the DEA-Miami, and the U. S. Customs Service (USCS)-Miami led to the seizure of 8,000 pounds (3,629 kilograms) of marijuana, and 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of hashish oil in Miami, Florida. This investigation included the MDEA because the major facilitator of this shipment resided in Bucksport, Maine. New dealers continually appear, but law enforcement agencies do not have the investigative resources to handle all of the available leads.

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