Marijuana Plants (www.YoVenice.com via Flickr / Creative Commons License)
Mar 26, 2013
Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier came under fire this week following an investigation that revealed widespread illegal use of pesticides in a cultivation facility--raising health concerns for patients.
An employee of the supplier in question, the Wellness Connection of Maine, called the Maine Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month to report that the employer had been using pesticides on marijuana plants cultivated at the group's Auburn facility.
Maine's medical marijuana rules ban the use of all pesticides.
Subsequently, DHHS investigators conducted a surprise investigation at two marijuana cultivation facilities, and in turn found several types of pesticides and more than 20 other violations of rules governing medicinal marijuana in Maine.
Paul McCarrier, a lobbyist for Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, told the Portland Press Herald, "It's really a tragedy for the patients."
He said the findings show that Wellness Connection's upper management was "encouraging workers to be deceitful" to "people who look to them to have a safe, clean medicine."
To keep operating, the group had to sign a consent agreement with DHHS, said Kenneth Albert, director of the DHHS Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services, that requires the group to stop using pesticides among other conditions. However, it does not require them to take the tainted products off of the shelves. Wellness Connection will be allowed to sell the rest of the products until they run out, but must inform all patients who receive the tainted marijuana of its harmful contents.
Wellness Connection, Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier, runs half of the state's medical marijuana clinics and services around 2,400 patients.
_______________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier came under fire this week following an investigation that revealed widespread illegal use of pesticides in a cultivation facility--raising health concerns for patients.
An employee of the supplier in question, the Wellness Connection of Maine, called the Maine Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month to report that the employer had been using pesticides on marijuana plants cultivated at the group's Auburn facility.
Maine's medical marijuana rules ban the use of all pesticides.
Subsequently, DHHS investigators conducted a surprise investigation at two marijuana cultivation facilities, and in turn found several types of pesticides and more than 20 other violations of rules governing medicinal marijuana in Maine.
Paul McCarrier, a lobbyist for Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, told the Portland Press Herald, "It's really a tragedy for the patients."
He said the findings show that Wellness Connection's upper management was "encouraging workers to be deceitful" to "people who look to them to have a safe, clean medicine."
To keep operating, the group had to sign a consent agreement with DHHS, said Kenneth Albert, director of the DHHS Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services, that requires the group to stop using pesticides among other conditions. However, it does not require them to take the tainted products off of the shelves. Wellness Connection will be allowed to sell the rest of the products until they run out, but must inform all patients who receive the tainted marijuana of its harmful contents.
Wellness Connection, Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier, runs half of the state's medical marijuana clinics and services around 2,400 patients.
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier came under fire this week following an investigation that revealed widespread illegal use of pesticides in a cultivation facility--raising health concerns for patients.
An employee of the supplier in question, the Wellness Connection of Maine, called the Maine Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month to report that the employer had been using pesticides on marijuana plants cultivated at the group's Auburn facility.
Maine's medical marijuana rules ban the use of all pesticides.
Subsequently, DHHS investigators conducted a surprise investigation at two marijuana cultivation facilities, and in turn found several types of pesticides and more than 20 other violations of rules governing medicinal marijuana in Maine.
Paul McCarrier, a lobbyist for Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, told the Portland Press Herald, "It's really a tragedy for the patients."
He said the findings show that Wellness Connection's upper management was "encouraging workers to be deceitful" to "people who look to them to have a safe, clean medicine."
To keep operating, the group had to sign a consent agreement with DHHS, said Kenneth Albert, director of the DHHS Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services, that requires the group to stop using pesticides among other conditions. However, it does not require them to take the tainted products off of the shelves. Wellness Connection will be allowed to sell the rest of the products until they run out, but must inform all patients who receive the tainted marijuana of its harmful contents.
Wellness Connection, Maine's largest medical marijuana supplier, runs half of the state's medical marijuana clinics and services around 2,400 patients.
_______________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.