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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Increase the Limit on the Number of Patients a Primary Caregiver May Provide for under the Medical Marijuana Laws’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2423-A, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 407, Pt. B, §16, is further amended to read:
 
B. Cultivate up to 6 mature marijuana plants for each qualifying patient who has designated the primary caregiver to cultivate marijuana on the patient's behalf, subject to the limitation in subsection 1, paragraph B on the total number of plants authorized per qualifying patient, as long as the total number of mature marijuana plants authorized to be cultivated under this paragraph does not exceed 30. A primary caregiver may not cultivate marijuana for a patient unless the patient has designated the primary caregiver for that purpose and the patient has not designated a registered dispensary to cultivate marijuana for the patient's medical use. In addition to the marijuana plants otherwise authorized under this paragraph, 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;
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2423-A, sub-§2, ¶C, as amended by PL 2013, c. 516, §6, is further amended to read:
 
C. Assist a maximum of 520 patients who have designated the primary caregiver to cultivate marijuana for their medical use;
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS)
 
Medical Use of Marijuana Fund Z118
 
Initiative: Provides funding for one Office Associate II position to handle additional clerical duties expected with a change on the limit of patients a caregiver can serve.

OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS	2015-16	2016-17	
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT	1.000	1.000	
Personal Services	$44,869	$61,854	
All Other	$4,709	$6,278	
			
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL	$49,578	$68,132	
 
’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment replaces the bill and changes the title. It increases the limit on the number of qualifying patients a primary caregiver may assist from 5 to 20, but caps a primary caregiver's plant cultivation at 30 mature marijuana plants for that primary caregiver's qualifying patients. The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)