Becoming a caregiver in Maine?

dubba86

Active Member
like I said before, thats good your taking care of your family, much respect for that and also you don't need to get anyone's approval from the internet for what you want to do, take the advice with a grain of salt. you can can get good advice here ( grow help etc.. theres a lot of guys who have great knowledge in there pinky finger then most do in there whole body) but you will also get criticism, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what you do, as soon as you punch out you go from a hero to a zero.
best of luck.
 

jujubee

Active Member
As to the calculation regarding financial gain for the caregiver, I suggest that in addition to lights, nutes, equipment, soil and the myriad other expenses (if done right) one must also consider the time and effort of the caregiver.
Quality of the product should also come into play. As well as supply and demand.

The problem around financially supporting yourself as a caregiver is the laws. A caregiver should be able to have more than 5 patients at a time.

If caregivers were able to have more patients, they could produce more product, and lower the prices. At least that is what I would be able to do. Economy of scale comes into play.

I wish Maine had a "producer" status in the law that would allow me to grow and sell to caregivers and dispensaries. I like growing. Dispensing or care giving, I would rather have someone else handle that. Some people who can't grow would like to be caregivers. Aces in their places. That works out best for everyone.
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
to be honest with the amount of plants i can have for 5 patients i will have more than enough product to meet the 5 patients needs and overage which i would need to find a legal way to get rid of. i heard you can sell to dipensararies but theres alot of red tape to be cut.

anyways... i see that the point of view is different on the subject of making "profit" off being a cargiver. and like i said before im not looking to get rich off it but i would like to have enough going on where i could handle it as a full time job, meaning i wouldnt have time to work tending to my plants daily. this is why i would like to be able to at least make some kind of turn around.

anyways to his thier own...i guess im in it for multiple reasons but the maine (har har) one is my passion for growing.
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
no selling to dispensaries.....
cool thanks for clearing that up for me :)

i guess i could always make edibles and give them as gifts when my patients purchase thier medicine but the only thing im afraid of is getting the health dept involved, not that im not sanitary but it would be a home based operation and i do not have stainless everything to use to cook with. i do make some mean cookies though :)
 

Maine Brookies

Active Member
A caregiver should be able to have more than 5 patients at a time.
I suspect that will be part of the next round of reform. It's rapidly becoming clear that the dispensary system as enacted will never be effective. The downside of that is that regulation of caregivers will inevitably increase.
 

jujubee

Active Member
I have a relative that holds a card and i want to get my operation legit so i can both help out people in need of fair priced quality meds and do something i am passionate about legally.
If the relative meets the definition of "member of the family" according to the law, you only need to have the relative fill out a designation form. You don't need to send anything to the state.

5-A. Member of the family. "Member of the family" means a person who is a spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, parent, stepparent, grandparent or grandchild of another person. "Member of the family" includes a person living with a person as a spouse and a natural parent of a child of a person.


http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/dlrs/mmm/application-material/Designation-Form.pdf


The law includes THREE EXCEPTIONS to the caregiver registration requirement:
1. When the caregiver designated to cultivate for a patient is a member of the same
household as the patient;
2. When two primary caregivers, who are also both qualifying patients, are members of
the same household and assist one another with cultivating; and
3. When a primary caregiver cultivates for a qualifying patient if that patient is a
member of the caregiver’s family.
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
If the relative meets the definition of "member of the family" according to the law, you only need to have the relative fill out a designation form. You don't need to send anything to the state.

5-A. Member of the family. "Member of the family" means a person who is a spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, parent, stepparent, grandparent or grandchild of another person. "Member of the family" includes a person living with a person as a spouse and a natural parent of a child of a person.


http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/dlrs/mmm/application-material/Designation-Form.pdf


The law includes THREE EXCEPTIONS to the caregiver registration requirement:
1. When the caregiver designated to cultivate for a patient is a member of the same
household as the patient;
2. When two primary caregivers, who are also both qualifying patients, are members of
the same household and assist one another with cultivating; and
3. When a primary caregiver cultivates for a qualifying patient if that patient is a
member of the caregiver’s family.
He would be my girlfriends cousin so i dont think he meets the criteria but my mother is going to be going after her card. she is a cancer survivor and it helps her with appetite and chronic pain. she just dosent really have the money to go see the doctor for it as she is now on fixed income.

thank you for that information. I really have a hard time understanding all of this stuff in writing, just dont comprehend it i guess.
 
If the relative meets the definition of "member of the family" according to the law, you only need to have the relative fill out a designation form. You don't need to send anything to the state.

5-A. Member of the family. "Member of the family" means a person who is a spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, parent, stepparent, grandparent or grandchild of another person. "Member of the family" includes a person living with a person as a spouse and a natural parent of a child of a person.
if i am growing for a qualified family member , do they count towards the 5 patient maximum? i would assume not , but am curious if anyone has first-hand experience. i would hate to be disciplined because i am 1 plant over 30 while providing for 6 people in this way.
 
no man if they need it and cant afford it i would be more than happy to help them out in any way i can. Not really sure why im getting flamed here.....



Receive reasonable monetarycompensation for costs associated with assisting a qualifying patientwho designated the primary caregiver on thedepartment-approved designation form signed and dated by thequalifying patient;


5.8.5 Receivereasonable monetary compensation for costs associated withcultivating marijuana for a qualifying patient who designated theprimary caregiver to cultivate marijuana;
Honestly not sure why you're getting flamed either. Does not say it has to be the cost of supplies/utilities only. Time is a cost and its up to you to decide what that is worth. Some value it more than others, those flaming you seem to not value it. The real estate you're doing it on is a cost. Your knowledge is a cost.

In response to those guilting you over it being medicine; medicine costs money for most people out there. Seen the price of pharmaceutical drugs lately?
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
yeah, i really help out alot though. like if one of my "patients" needs some bud im there for him/her.

i dont have my legals yet. want to get them for sure but im already helping out the medical comunity (patients) even though the paperworl isnt in place.

thanks for your respomse m8 makes me feel better about my goals. i bet every person on here that has flamed me isnt giving each patient all 6 plants anyways so i really dont care. I got one friend up and running on his own plant. he killed 3 clones before i finally got him to keep something alive. none of the clones i charges , didnt charge for my extra CFL bulbs or my time. didnt charge for any supplies or fertilizers i have given (and still am giving) him....so all the haters can eat it. i know im doing the right thing and wether they think so or not i really dont give a rats ass.
 

Maine Brookies

Active Member


Honestly not sure why you're getting flamed either.


There is some sentiment among patients that the plants are "theirs" and therefore they are entitled to the fruits of "their" plants. To which i tell them, if you revoke your authorization the law says that the previous caregiver has a two week grace period to to another patient and assign "your" plants and finished meds to this new patient.
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
yeah but theres alot of caregivers out there that use patients plant count as thier own personal cash crop and sell them to them for way more than costs of labor and supplies.
 

jujubee

Active Member
I thought it was a 10 day grace period.

What percentage of patients do you think are reselling on the black market?
 
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