PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - With Tuesday's election, Maine becomes the fifth state to allow dispensaries where marijuana can be distributed to medical patients.
A decade ago, Maine voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum allowing people to legally possess marijuana for medicinal purposes. On Nov. 3, voters will decided to allow dispensaries from which the drug could be distributed to patients. Before the referendum passed, patients can only obtain marijuana legally by growing it themselves.
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 Los Angeles is the "wild west West" of marijuana dispensaries.
He says Maine law requires that dispensaries be licensed by the state, while California law does not. He adds that Maine law narrowly defines medical conditions for which patients can be prescribed pot, while California allows doctors to recommend it for virtually any ailment.
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