Your first two months

i am posting this here because i am a maine resident , if this has already been answered elsewhere, please point me in that direction!

i have been researching and considering what it takes to become a maine caregiver and my question is.. once you get your first first patient , how do you go about supplying the medicine if you have not even begun to cultivate?

is it understood that you will not be able to provide for your patient until your first harvest? if we are taking this seriously and want to provide relief to someone with pain , how do we go about that while staying within the bounds of the law?

is this where 'donations' from other care-givers or perhaps even dispensaries come in?

tldr; i am wondering what the right thing to do during the two months from startup - harvest is.

many thanks for your time and help!

When the new law comes into effect my understanding is that you will be able to "allocate" some of your plants to a dispensary or caregiver, apparently to address this issue. By allocating a portion of your plants you will be able to cultivate the remainder and also purchase from the dispensary/caregiver. For example, you allocate three plants to a caregiver which would result in you being able to cultivate the other three. In theory, you can allocate any number of plants and i believe you could purchase 2.5oz every two weeks for simply allocating one plant.

Other than that it's black market for another couple months.

Are you a patient yourself, or eligible? If so, then you will be able to start growing as soon as you get legal. Most caregivers know their patients, and would have had an arrangement or understanding with the patient that it will take a little time to get going.

Maine Brookies said:

When the new law comes into effect my understanding is that you will be able to "allocate" some of your plants to a dispensary or caregiver, apparently to address this issue. By allocating a portion of your plants you will be able to cultivate the remainder and also purchase from the dispensary/caregiver. For example, you allocate three plants to a caregiver which would result in you being able to cultivate the other three. In theory, you can allocate any number of plants and i believe you could purchase 2.5oz every two weeks for simply allocating one plant.

Other than that it's black market for another couple months.

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I dont think you can allocate the 6 plants where you choose... I believe either you yourself cultivate or you designate a caregiver or you designate a dispensary. i dont think you are allowed to split the plants up yourself... the plant limit is your limit if you designate yourself, its your caregivers limit if you designate him and I dont know what the dispensary's limit is if you designate them but you can not allocate the 6 plants yourself...



"Designate one person, hospice provider or nursing facility as a primary caregiver in a written document signed and dated by the qualifying patient."


you'll have to be a patient or find a very patient patient

you can split the plants up as a patient.....you can grow 3 and designate the other 3 to a caregiver(or dispensary) for example....

to answer the op's question, well for one it takes longer than two months from start up to harvest...other caregivers might donate to you but it's best to explain to your patients there will be a 4 month time with no meds available.....

Can't a patient designate two caregivers in Maine? One would be the start-up caregiver and another could be a dispensary. When the start-up is ready to harvest, then the patient could obtain their marijuana exclusively from him/her, and stop using the dispensary, altogether.

I'm also wondering if a person is designated as a patient's caregiver, can the caregiver legally obtain some clones to expedite the growing/harvest/delivery time frame?

I am pretty confident that you cannot designate more than one entity to grow for you. You can have two caregivers, but only one can grow. You cannot have a dispensary and a caregiver both growing for you. However, you do not need to designate your entire six plant limit to that entity. You can grow three yourself, for example, and have a caregiver or dispensary grow the other three.

You can legally obtain clones from another legal entity (caregiver, dispensary) and transport them to your grow site. I am not certain about obtaining them from a patient, but I would expect it to be ok.

So, could a patient designate me as their caregiver, to grow six plants on their behalf, yet still purchase marijuana in the interim from a dispensary? I would think so, as long as said patient in in possession of no more than 2.5 oz. Does that seem correct? I'm reading through the amended laws of LD 1296 to try and get it all straight.

More on this issue: Under LD 1296 regarding the Caregiver law:

I bolded the last part as it speaks to the question of having available marijuana when you've first been designated as a patient's caregiver. Do you take this to mean that you can have harvested marijuana on hand, even though you've just been designated as a caregiver? Are we to go rogue, and get growing, in anticipation of being named a caretaker in the very near future?

It would be great to have some hard answers to these questions.

potpharm said:

So, could a patient designate me as their caregiver, to grow six plants on their behalf, yet still purchase marijuana in the interim from a dispensary? I would think so, as long as said patient in in possession of no more than 2.5 oz. Does that seem correct? I'm reading through the amended laws of LD 1296 to try and get it all straight.

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a patient can have only 1 caregiver, so if your growing for him (no matter how many plants) he cannot use a dispensary.....

next question...in stages of processing can mean drying or curing meds not yet ready for patient use....

I've been thinking about that clause:

a primary caregiver may have harvested marijuana plants in varying stages of processing in order to ensure the primary caregiver is able to meet the needs of the primary caregiver's qualifying patients;

I guess they put that in when they took out the 10-ounce limit for patients. It really leaves it pretty open, doesn't it? I mean, curing in jars is part of processing. I'm sure we all have strains that would benefit from a couple months of curing. It wouldn't be reasonable to have 5 lbs laying around for 2 patients, but if you figure that each patient is allotted 5 ounces a month then having a pound or so in varying stages of processing would be reasonable. Agree? Different interpretation?

just label whatever is jarred and curing or whatnot " Not Ready For Patient Use until_____"

Exactly mdanforth. Sounds like the proponents of 10 ounces settled on this for the more conservative members of the House. Good for us caregivers, but sorta screws grow-your-own patients, doesn't it? Hard to rotate a crop when you are doing a flood table and lst. And a good harvest of 6 plants is way more than 2 1/2 ounces. What were they thinking lol

tet1953 said:

Exactly mdanforth. Sounds like the proponents of 10 ounces settled on this for the more conservative members of the House. Good for us caregivers, but sorta screws grow-your-own patients, doesn't it? Hard to rotate a crop when you are doing a flood table and lst. And a good harvest of 6 plants is way more than 2 1/2 ounces. What were they thinking lol

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do you think a grow it yourselfer needs a 3x3 or 4x4 flood table? It doesnt eliminate some options to grow (like a SOG) but thats the nature of regulations. caregivers can't do SOG either.. I think this law was written pretty well for both groups really. six plnts is more than 2 1/2 ounces BUT 8 weeks of flowering is equal to 10oz for that patient (4, 2 week sets), also 6 plants in a perpetual, 2,2, and 2 the patient could easily stay legal and have plenty of meds. If they went over its an easy donation proccess.. all and all, i'm happy with it.

except how long it took to get to here.. (as in we still wait 2 more weeks)

Who can't do SOG? I do. I am a patient and caregiver for 2 patients, so that's 18 flowering. I believe the rule about "various stages of processing" (i.e., curing) covers me between harvests. If I am not mistaken, this particular rule or clause pertains to caregivers and not to patients. Hence my comment about patients still being screwed.

tet1953 said:

Who can't do SOG? I do. I am a patient and caregiver for 2 patients, so that's 18 flowering. I believe the rule about "various stages of processing" (i.e., curing) covers me between harvests. If I am not mistaken, this particular rule or clause pertains to caregivers and not to patients. Hence my comment about patients still being screwed.

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3 plants per sq foot, SOG. why would you grow 18 plants in 6 sq/feet? I would veg longer, since our veg time is now basically unlimted and either do a good supercrop/lst or a SCoG. either way I know of a sog as buko plants in a small space. Also, that rule about under 12" is going to be fought in court hard if they catch you with 85 11" 7week old flowers.. :/

and about the varies stages of proccess, I thought that applied to caregivers and patients.. I'll have to re-red that rule.. If thats the case then you are right..

I don't do that. I call mine a SOG (SCROG, actually) because that is what I end up with. Here's my setup:

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/427087-my-new-room.htm

I use screens, and I end up with a carpet of colas. That's SOG, innit? The early pics don't show the current setup really. 2 rooms, 10x12x6 each, 2x 1000w and 2x 600w in each room. 18 plants, arranged in 2 rows of 7, with a sort of "T" across the back of the room.


My current flower room is 7 weeks yesterday won't be long for the WW, couple extra weeks for other strains.

cerberus said:

Also, that rule about under 12" is going to be fought in court hard if they catch you with 85 11" 7week old flowers.

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If i'm not mistaken the 12"x12" definition was removed in the final version and we are still using the "harvestable female that is flowering" definition.

Maine Brookies said:

If i'm not mistaken the 12"x12" definition was removed in the final version and we are still using the "harvestable female that is flowering" definition.

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i am not at all surprised. I didn't hear that that rule finally got changed but honestly i never thought that rule was going to fly..