Eric Russell

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Eric Russell

AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers are looking to give authorities more tools to make it harder for hundreds of black market cannabis farmers allegedly associated with Chinese organized crime to receive licenses to grow and sell in Maine’s medical market. But leaders of the state’s largest cannabis trade and advocacy groups are pushing back against several bills, saying they don’t trust the state to enforce the rules fairly.

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Eric Russell

AUGUSTA — Maine’s recreational cannabis market requires products and plants be tested for mold, yeast, pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and more. The medical marijuana industry does not. Lawmakers heard testimony Monday on two bills that seek to change that, but both face an uphill battle against the industry. LD 104, proposed by the state’s Office of Cannabis Policy, or OCP, and sponsored by Rep.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Eric Russell

May 5—U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested 39 people in Maine during a 10-day targeted operation that concluded last week. According to the federal agency, all of those arrested were undocumented immigrants, most from Central American countries. So far this year, border officials have arrested more people in Maine than in all of 2024, reflecting the Trump administration's hardline stance on detaining and deporting individuals who are in the United States illegally.

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Eric Russell

As President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada and place steep tariffs on its exports, many have worried that a mutually beneficial and longstanding cross-border partnership would be threatened. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to cement that new reality during a speech Tuesday night after his party’s electoral victory.

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Eric Russell

AUGUSTA — A Camden lawmaker is proposing an increase in state fines for improper pesticide use in response to a high-profile case in which a wealthy landowner’s pesticide use damaged a neighbor’s trees and caused chemicals to migrate to a nearby town park. The proposal from Rep.