High-dose cannabis products are not a luxury—they are a necessity for patients living with a host of other debilitating conditions
Though we primarily focus on cannabis in Massachusetts, we also pay attention to big news in other states, especially neighboring ones—and especially when that news impacts commonwealth consumers. Looming legislative threats to Maine’s medical marijuana program certainly qualify, as many patients make the trip across the border for especially high doses.
We saw that Mass cannabis business owner and advocate Kara Bertand made the trip to Maine State House in Augusta this week to testify against a bill that would, among other things, make “the same testing and tracking provisions that are applied for adult use cannabis and adult use cannabis products to be applied for medical use cannabis and medical use cannabis products.” Her testimony, which can be read in full below, addresses the nature of the program in its current state along with the stakes. -TJM Editors
My name is Kara, I drove four hours from Massachusetts to be here today to speak in opposition to bill LD 1847.
I am here as a caregiver, a patient, and an advocate—not just in the formal sense, but in the most human sense possible.
I have relied on Maine’s medical cannabis program for over a decade, and today, I want to share why it’s not just a program—it’s been our lifeline.
Before I met my husband, he survived what should have been an unsurvivable car crash. He was ejected from a vehicle and sustained 35 broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. He was given a 1% chance of survival. And yet—by some miracle—he lived.
But survival came with a steep cost. He had to relearn everything—how to walk, how to talk, even how to swallow. His brain injury altered not just his physical abilities, but his personality, his emotional regulation, and his mental health.
Doctors did what they could. He was prescribed medication after medication. Each pill intended to treat a symptom, but each came with side effects that often created new problems of their own.
It was through medical cannabis that we finally found a light.
Cannabis didn’t cure his brain injury—but it gave us something that the prescriptions never could: stability. It helped calm his mind without numbing his soul and gave him back a sense of control over his own life.
Maine’s medical cannabis program gave us more than medicine. It gave us hope. It gave us dignity. It gave us a framework to participate in healing, not just treating.
But lately, many of us who depend on this program are growing anxious. We see increasing regulation, growing barriers for caregivers, and what sometimes feels like a shift away from the patient-first philosophy that built this community. Like we’re seeing in other states that are over regulated like Nevada and Massachusetts—it harms revenue and drives up prices for patients.
High-dose cannabis products are not a luxury—they are a necessity for patients living with a host of other debilitating conditions.
For many of us, these higher doses are the only effective option to manage symptoms and maintain any quality of life. Restricting access to them would not only be medically disruptive, but potentially dangerous.
It’s important to recognize that Maine has become a trusted destination for patients seeking this kind of care.
In fact, many medical retailers report that 30% to 35% of their sales come from out-of-state medical patients, which is a significant portion of revenue and tax dollars.
These individuals travel long distances to obtain the specific formulations and dosages they cannot find elsewhere—often because their own states do not offer the same level of access or compassion. If we cap THC limits in edibles, we will not only be limiting access for Maine patients, but also turning away those who rely on Maine’s medical market from beyond the borders.
That revenue, and more importantly, that trust, will be lost.
I urge this office to remember: behind every regulation, every policy decision, there are real people. Patients who are vulnerable. Families who are stretched thin. Caregivers who carry the weight of someone else’s survival every single day. We are not statistics—we are the very reason this program exists.
My husband is alive today. He’s not just surviving—he’s healing. He has returned to teaching high school. He’s living a normal life again. And medical cannabis has played a critical role in that.
Strengthen the program, give support to caregivers and patients — and build up our cultivators and retailers that we love, and depend on for quality, safe cannabis. Please ensure that the focus stays where it belongs: on the patients.
Thank you for continuing to protect the program that helps people like us live with dignity and hope.
