PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A state health official says plans by the operators of a medical marijuana dispensary scheduled to open in Portland next month to include a coffee bar, acupuncture clinic and “vapor lounge” at the facility run afoul of state rules.
John Thiele of the Health and Human Services Department says a dispensary with such amenities would violate state regulations aimed at ensuring that dispensaries are places to get medicine for serious illnesses, not places to “hang out.”
He tells The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/vfodRR) creating a social setting for the dispensation of medical marijuana is unhealthy because it promotes more marijuana use than is medically necessary.
The operator, Wellness Connection of Maine, could not be reached for comment. Their two other dispensaries in Maine do not have the same amenities.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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