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Vassalboro [Maine] official had ordered marijuana growing business to close prior to fire
Portland Press Herald [Maine] ^ | February 10, 2022 | Staff Report

Posted on 02/12/2022 7:16:25 AM PST by Steven Scharf

Vassalboro official had ordered marijuana growing business to close prior to fire

VASSALBORO — The marijuana cultivation facility that was destroyed by an accidental fire Monday was unlicensed by the town of Vassalboro and had been ordered at the end of January to vacate the building within 60 days.

In a letter dated Jan. 25, Ryan Page, Vassalboro’s code enforcement officer, informed Patrick Waibel, owner of GameBred, that he had 60 days from the date of the letter to stop all unapproved medical marijuana cultivation at the building at 647 Webber Pond Road.

The business has apparently run afoul of the town’s marijuana business ordinance that is now nearly a year old.

Vassalboro voters approved an ordinance that went into effect in February 2021 that bans all marijuana-related businesses unless they are in lawful operation or had received site plan or building permit approval for their use before the effective date of the ordinance.

. . .

State fire investigators said the blaze that destroyed the building was caused by an electrical problem at the building.

In a GoFundMe post seeking support following the fire, Waibel wrote he had hired a licensed electrician to do the building’s wiring

Waibel started the GoFundMe campaign Wednesday in the effort to raise $40,000 to help him and his two employees survive and rebuild the building.

“We are a mom and pop company with 2 full time assistants, and we don’t have the means to rebuild on our own,” he wrote.

(Excerpt) Read more at pressherald.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: Maine
KEYWORDS: illegal; maine; marijuana; medicalmarijuana
Jewish lightning?

The guy got hutzpah. Setting up a GoFundMe campaign for a marijuana cultivation business. I suspect he did not have a clue of how to run a business.

1 posted on 02/12/2022 7:16:25 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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To: Steven Scharf

He has raised a whopping $675 of his $40,000 goal.

Hi, my name is Patrick, I’m the owner of GameBred and I need some help. Since January 2020, the GameBred team has worked tirelessly to provide quality medicine to medical patients. With the help of this community we were able to grow the business eventually landing us in Vassalboro ME. Committed to bring the best quality medicine to Maine, we poured all of our savings into what ended up being a beautiful indoor garden. On Monday, February 7th everything changed. Although we hired a licensed electrician, that did everything to code, an electrical fire started at the panels of the building. I arrived about 8 minutes after the fire started, but it had already spread. Against the advice of Tim a GameBred team member, I sprinted into the burning building to try and save the garden. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and went to work to no avail. The fire was spreading, and I was losing. I abandoned my strategy, as I could hear sirens in the background, and changed my focus to rescuing the irreplaceable genetics we had hunted over the years. When I opened the door to the room black smoke billowed out and I knew then, I’d lost everything.

I am starting this GoFundMe after a large number of people in the community have reached out and asked if there’s something they can do. We are a Mom and Pop company with 2 full time assistants, and we don’t have the means to rebuild on our own. David Bates, our head grower is an army vet with 3 kids, Tim Lamoureux a former nurse and our newest staff member of only 5 Months also has 3 kids. It is of the utmost importance to me that our team is able to quickly move forward, but we need your help. Proceeds from this GoFundMe will go to to helping our families survive during these trying times and helping us rebuild. Thank you to all willing to help, and this community in general. It’s been an honor serving you.


2 posted on 02/12/2022 7:19:49 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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To: Steven Scharf

It wasn’t long ago when police would raid such a place and destroy everything in it.


3 posted on 02/12/2022 7:20:55 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (If truckers quit their jobs, society would collapse. If politicians quit their jobs...HALLELUJAH!)
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To: Steven Scharf

I have to admit that if I lived in a state where marijuana was legalized, and I was someone who chose to use it recreationally or medically, I would simply fall back on my old mid-1970s paradigm. That is, I would simply grow my own at home for personal use. It’s actually really easy to do if you’re just trying to grow a small quantity.

To be clear, I’ve not touched the stuff since 1977. However, if I ever had an illness that it would help, you had better bet I would be growing my own. One of my friends was completely cured of stage 4 cancer using marijuana oil. It made me a believer. To be clear, he did go through his first chemo treatments and was in put on a rest period before he went to his second stage. However, his use of the marijuana oil made the second stage unnecessary. This was several years ago. Comically, when his doctor found out what he was doing between treatment. He actually got quite angry. Apparently he was counting on those yacht payments.


4 posted on 02/12/2022 7:25:48 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Yep.


5 posted on 02/12/2022 7:26:54 AM PST by bigfootbob
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To: Steven Scharf

So GoFundMe is letting an idiot raise money for something that is not legal, yet won’t let people raise money for the FREEDOM CONVOY. Hypocrites...


6 posted on 02/12/2022 7:27:20 AM PST by Deplorable American1776 (I'm the ones trying to save American Democracy...Donald Trump 6/21 at the NCGOP convention! )
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To: cuban leaf

There’s only one reason a state legalizes pot or any other drug, tax money. And once they do there’s no going back, just like with alcohol, gambling and tobacco.

Those states are now in the business of supporting all those drugs forever because their addiction to money is stronger than the people’s attraction to drugs.


7 posted on 02/12/2022 7:35:47 AM PST by SaxxonWoods ("If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Minquass)
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To: cuban leaf
...I would simply grow my own at home for personal use.

Illegal to grow it here in New Jersey. Even for medical use. They don't want you avoiding the tax man.

8 posted on 02/12/2022 7:50:14 AM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Militia to the border! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: SaxxonWoods

“Those states are now in the business of supporting all those drugs forever...”

You just got finished saying they’re only in it for the taxes. Remember the old conservative maxim: “if you want more of something, subsidize it, if you want less of something, tax it”. So by that logic, these states are actually suppressing marijuana use, not “supporting” it.


9 posted on 02/12/2022 7:55:50 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: JimRed

It’s kinda funny when you think about growing it. There is a reason it’s called “weed”. It’s not like you are setting up a still.

But since the cops rarely enter “upstanding citizens’” homes, it would be awfully hard to enforce. Imagine them making Psilocybin mushrooms legal, but illegal to grow. Every fall the cops could ticket and the DA’s could prosecute everyone with a yard. 😅😂🤣


10 posted on 02/12/2022 7:59:21 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: SaxxonWoods

There’s only one reason a state legalizes pot or any other drug, tax money.


Though I think that is a big reason, I don’t think it’s the only one. Public opinion and staying in office has a lot to do with it. That’s why we no longer have prohibition.

Related: My county was dry until about 4 years ago. Then it went “moist” (alcohol sold with meals at restaurants). A couple years ago it went wet. However, the county tax is so high it’s still worth it to go to the neighboring county, Marion county (also the home of the Cornbread mafia (google it)). Fortunately, I’m only a couple miles from the very old and cheap liquor store in Marion county so the only advantage to my county (Taylor) going wet is that there is a sports bar and a great trendy bar (Bourbon Boutique) in the little county seat.


11 posted on 02/12/2022 8:03:58 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: cuban leaf

Yes, you have a point. In Colorado the pot became legal due to a citizen originated changing of the state constitution. Government was not the instigator.

I remember dry counties in Texas when I was young. Just looked, there are still 6 dry counties in Texas. Alcohol is probably the most popular drug in America and the world.


12 posted on 02/12/2022 8:10:57 AM PST by SaxxonWoods ("If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Minquass)
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To: Steven Scharf
Vassalboro official had ordered marijuana growing business to close prior to fire

But how were they supposed to know when the fire was going to happen❓❓

13 posted on 02/12/2022 8:15:27 AM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: SaxxonWoods

When I moved from Seattle to Kentucky in 2011, I was surprised to find two of the most stupid laws ever enacted still in force:
Prohibition
School busing

The prohibition one is dying fast. The latter seems to be taking longer. Fortunately it is a blue county thing.


14 posted on 02/12/2022 8:21:45 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: SaxxonWoods

I’ve said for a very long time that instead of spending billions to try to stop citizens from doing something that most support, we could MAKE billions off them doing it.

Sin taxes exist for a reason.


15 posted on 02/12/2022 8:23:12 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: cuban leaf

Yeah, they do, agreed. Whether the tradeoff is positive is a question but it’s all part of the balance between freedom and control.


16 posted on 02/12/2022 8:25:42 AM PST by SaxxonWoods ("If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Minquass)
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To: Boogieman

Hah, good one. One caveat, the states that are taxing pot too much are finding that the Black Market is cutting their tax revenue.


17 posted on 02/12/2022 8:28:51 AM PST by SaxxonWoods ("If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Minquass)
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To: Steven Scharf

Not sure about the local weed but Webber Pond has excellent bass fishing.


18 posted on 02/12/2022 8:36:41 AM PST by BillyBonebrake
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