An Act To Promote Equity and Increase Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry by Removing Restrictions Related to Convictions for Drug Offenses and To Replace the Term "Marijuana" with the Term "Cannabis" in the Maine Revised Statutes
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1957
Committee Amendment CA_A_H980 (House)
Amends: 17-A MRSA §1111-A, 22 MRSA §2383, 22 MRSA §2422, 28-B MRSA §102

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A,, to H.P. 1457, L.D. 1957, "An Act To Promote 
Equity and Increase Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry by Removing Restrictions 
Related to Convictions for Drug Offenses and To Replace the Term "Marijuana" with the 
Term "Cannabis" in the Maine Revised Statutes" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Promote Equity and Increase Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry by 
Reducing Restrictions Related to Convictions for Drug Offenses and To Replace the 
Term "Marijuana" with the Term "Cannabis" in the Maine Revised Statutes' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1111-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2021, c. 434, §6, is 
further amended to read: 
1. As used in this section the term "drug paraphernalia" means all equipment, products 
and materials of any kind that are used or intended for use in planting, propagating, 
cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, 
processing, preparing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing or concealing a 
scheduled drug in violation of this chapter or Title 22, section 23 83, except that this section 
does not apply to a person who is authorized to possess raarijuana cannabis for medical use 
pursuant to Title 22, chapter 558-C, to the extent the drug paraphernalia is used for that 
person's medical use of raarijuaaa cannabis; to a person who is authorized to possess 
raarijuaaa cannabis pursuant to Title 28-B, to the extent the drug paraphernalia is used for 
that person's adult use of raarijuaaa cannabis; or to a raarijuaaa cannabis store licensed 
pursuant to Title 28-B, to the extent that the drug paraphernalia relates to the sale or offering 
for sale of raarijuaaa cannabis by the raarijuaaa cannabis store. It includes, but is not limited 
to: 
A. Kits used or intended for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing or 
harvesting of any species of plant which is a scheduled drug or from which a scheduled 
drug can be derived; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT A" to H.P. 1457, L.D. 1957 
B. 
Kits used or intended for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, 
producing, processing or preparing scheduled drugs; 
C. Isomerization devices used or intended for use in increasing the potency of any 
species of plant that is a scheduled drug; 
E. Scales and balances used or intended for use in weighing or measuring scheduled 
drugs; 
F. 
Dilutants and adulterants, such as quinine hydrochloride, mannitol, mannite, 
dextrose and lactose, used or intended for use in cutting scheduled drugs; 
G. Separation gins and sifters, used or intended for use in removing twigs and seeds 
from, or in otherwise cleaning or refining, marijuana; 
H. Blenders, bowls, containers, spoons and mixing devices used or intended for use in 
compounding scheduled drugs; 
I. Capsules, balloons, envelopes and other containers used or intended for use in 
packaging small quantities of scheduled drugs; and 
J. Containers and other objects used or intended for use in storing or concealing 
scheduled drugs. 
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2383, sub-§1-A, as amended by PL 2017, c. 377, §3, is further 
amended to read: 
1-A. MaFijuaBa Cannabis possession by a person under 21 years of age. Except 
for possession of marijuana cannabis for medical use pursuant to chapter 558-C, a person 
who is under 21 years of age may not possess marijuana cannabis. A person who is under 
years of age who possesses a usable amount of marijuana cannabis commits a civil 
violation for which a fine of not less than $350 and not more than $600 must be adjudged 
for possession ofup to 11/4 ounces of marijuana cannabis and a fine of not less than $700 
and not more than $1,000 must be adjudged for possession of over 1 1/4 ounces to 2 1/2 
ounces of marijuana cannabis, none of which may be suspended. For the purposes of this 
section, marijuana has the same meaning as in Title 17 A, section 1101, subsection 1 
"cannabis" includes the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of all species of the plant genus 
cannabis, whether growing or not: but does not include the resin extracted from any part of 
such plant and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation from 
such resin including hashish and does not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber 
produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other 
compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of such mature stalks, 
fiber, oil or cake or the sterilized seed of such plant that is incapable of germination. 
"Cannabis" does not include hemp as defined in Title 7, section 2231, subsection 1-A, 
paragraph D. 
Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §2422, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2009, c. 631, § 10 and affected 
by §51, is further amended to read: 
4. Disqualifying drug offense. "Disqualifying drug offense" means a conviction for 
a violation of a state or federal controlled substance law that is a crime punishable by 
imprisonment for one year or more. It does not include: 
A. An offense for which the sentence, including any term of probation, incarceration 
or supervised release, was completed .W 2, or more years earlier; er 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,Jt" to H.P. 1457, L.D. 1957 
B. An offense that consisted of conduct that would have been permitted under this 
chapter-:-_;_m: 
C. An offense that consisted of conduct that would be authorized under Title 28-B or 
that, if the person convicted of the offense had been acting under the authority of a 
license pursuant to Title 28-B, would have been authorized under Title 28-B. 
Sec. 4. 28-B MRSA §102, sub-§15, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 409, Pt. A, §6, is 
amended to read: 
15. Disqualifying drug offense. "Disqualifying drug offense" means a conviction for 
a violation of a state or federal controlled substance law that is a crime punishable by 
imprisonment for one year or more, except that "disqualifying drug offense" does not 
include: 
A. An offense for which the sentence, including any term of probation, incarceration 
or supervised release, was completed .W ~ or more years prior to the submission of an 
application for a license under this chapter; or 
B. An offense that consisted of conduct that is would be authorized under chapter 3 
this Title or that, if the person convicted of the offense had been acting under the 
authority of a license pursuant to this Title, would have been authorized under this 
Title. 
Sec. 5. Maine Revised Statutes amended; revision clause. Wherever in the 
Maine Revised Statutes the word "marijuana" appears, it is amended to read "cannabis" 
and the Reviser of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or 
republishing the statutes, except that the word "marijuana" is not amended to read 
"cannabis" in Title 17-A. 
Sec. 6. Rules, forms, policies and publications. On or after the effective date of 
this section, when adopting or amending rules and developing or publishing forms, policies 
and publications, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services' office of 
marijuana policy and the Department of Health and Human Services shall replace 
references to "marijuana" with references to "cannabis." ' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment strikes and replaces the bill and does the following. 
1. It amends the prohibitions on participation in the cannabis industry under the Maine 
Medical Use of Marijuana Act and the Marijuana Legalization Act for persons convicted 
of drug offenses by reducing from 10 years to 5 years the time that must elapse after any 
term of probation, incarceration or supervised release is completed in order for the relevant 
offense to no longer be considered a disqualifying drug offense. 
2. It exempts from the definition of "disqualifying drug offense" in both of those Acts 
an offense for activity that would have been allowed under the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 28-B. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,:A,, to H.P. 1457, L.D. 1957 
3. It directs by a revision clause that the term "marijuana" be replaced with the term 
"cannabis" in the Maine Revised Statutes except in the Maine Criminal Code and adjusts 
language in certain sections of Title 17-A and Title 22 to be consistent with that change. 
4. It provides that when adopting or amending rules and developing or publishing 
forms, policies and publications, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services' 
office of marijuana policy and the Department of Health and Human Services must replace 
references to "marijuana" with references to "cannabis." 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/29/22 feac:.. 
LD 1957 
LR 2503(02) 
An Act To Promote Equity and Increase Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry by Removing 
Restrictions Related to Convictions for Drug Offenses and To Replace the Term "Marijuana" with the 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Term "Cannabis" in the Maine Revised Statutes 
~ 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment i/r Ct-\- °'I go J 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Any additional costs to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Marijuana Policy within the 
Department of Administrative and Financial Service and the Legislature from the provisions of this bill are expected 
to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR2503(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1