Pattenaude, chancellor since 2007, announced earlier this year he would leave his post by June 2012.

Eleanor Baker of Cape Elizabeth and Gregory Johnson of Harpswell, co-chairs of the search committee and members of the system board of trustees, announced the finalists Wednesday, according to a system press release.

The finalists are:

• Meredith Hay, currently a special advisor to the chair of the Arizona Board of Regents for Strategic Initiatives and professor of physiology at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine. She formerly held vice president-level positions at UA, the University of Iowa and the University of Missouri System. She served as provost at UA from 2008 to 2011, overseeing a sweeping reorganziation plan.

• James Page, currently principal and chief executive officer of the James W. Sewall Company and adjunct associate professor of philosophy at UMaine. Formerly, he was president, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Sewall Company. Earlier this year, he also was announced as one of four finalists in the search to replace former University of Maine president Robert Kennedy.

• Rebecca Wyke, currently vice chancellor for finance and administration for the University of Maine System, formerly commissioner of the State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, and formerly chief deputy secretary of state for Maine.

The release said campus visits by each individual are scheduled to take place between January 17 and 20, taking finalists on tours beginning at the University of Southern Maine in Portland and going to UMaine, the System Office in Bangor and ending at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

Students, faculty, staff and local community members at the system’s other universities will be able to participate in campus visits via a videoconferencing system, the release said.

“Our universities are facing unprecedented economic and demographic challenges,” Johnson said in a statement. “These candidates offer the right type of expertise and present innovative ideas on how we can reshape the future of higher education to best meet the needs of Maine.”

“We have an impressive group of finalists with solid experience in higher education, business, and administration,” Baker said.  “The search committee looks forward to receiving feedback from the university community and members of the public as the candidates travel the state of Maine and meet with our various constituencies.”

The log said the department responded at 3:54 a.m. and the incident is under investigation. On Monday, UMPD Det. Keith Mercier said the investigation is still ongoing, with no charges filed.

Oxford Hall is a first-year residence hall with double-occupancy only, according to UMaine’s website.

This sex offense report was the second handled by the department in less than 48 hours, as on Thursday, UMPD responded to the Division of Student Affairs after an incident “in reference to” the UMaine chapter of fraternity Phi Eta Kappa, according to UMPD Chief Roland LaCroix. That investigation is also ongoing.

A police log showed it was reported at 8:41 a.m. and police responded to the fraternity’s house, at 107 College Avenue.

After a fraternity member emailed The Maine Campus to say the police response never happened, LaCroix said the department made a mistake on the log normally emailed to media members.

He said the department did not respond to Phi Eta Kappa, but responded to the offices of the Division of Student Affairs in the Memorial Union “in reference to Phi Eta.” LaCroix gave no other details, citing an investigation.

“As far as the sex assault goes, it will remain confidential as it is an ongoing investigation,” UMPD Det. Keith Mercier wrote in an email to The Maine Campus on Friday morning.

On Monday, Mercier said the investigation is still open, with no charges filed.

This was the first of two sex offense reports to UMPD within a 48-hour period. Early Saturday morning, the department responded to a report from Oxford Hall, a first-year residence hall on campus.

This story is developing.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that UMPD responded to the Phi Eta Kappa house on College Avenue after the sex offense report. The mistake was made due to misinformation in the UMPD Daily Digest, a log of incidents regularly emailed to media.

The Black Bears fall to 6-7-2 and 5-6-1 in Hockey East, while BU improves to 10-5-1 and 8-4-1 in conference.

“I thought we played extremely well from start to finish,” said BU head coach Jack Parker. “It certainly wasn’t a 4-1 game — or whatever it was.”

Anthoine put the Black Bears ahead in the second period, but four-strait goals by BU ended UMaine’s hopes of the upset.

“I think they did a good job on the rush and getting opportunities off the rush,” said BU senior goalie Kieran Millan of UMaine. “It’s something we’ve done a good job of defending. My teammates did a good job handling that. It was a lot closer than it seemed.”

The game was marred by two seperate game misconducts in the second period, sending BU junior Justin Courtnall and UMaine senior center Brian Flynn to the showers early.

“He’s a key guy,” Parker said of Flynn. “They got the worst of that deal. Flynn is a terrific player.”

The game started out with a fast-paced first period, with each team putting pressure on the game’s goalies.

BU freshman forward Yasin Cissé got the first look on sophomore goalie Dan Sullivan, but Sullivan deflected it away with ease.

The Terriers had their first opportunity on the power play less than 3 minutes into the game after junior defender Nick Pryor was tagged for slashing. BU managed good looks, but Sullivan was able to keep the Terriers off the scoreboard.

A hitting-from-behind call on UMaine junior center Kyle Beattie gave the Terriers another look with the man-advantage and Sullivan again took care of anything that came his way.

Midway through the first period, it looked as though the Black Bears had their first chance on the power play after sophomore center Charlie Coyle was called for boarding. But UMaine sophomore forward Mark Anthoine followed Coyle to the box for embellishment.

Nothing came from the four-on-four action, as the Black Bears’ got another opportunity with 5 minutes remaining in the period. After freshman forward Evan Rodrigues was called for interference, Flynn got a great look on net, only to have Millan sprawl with his pad and save the goal.

Each goalie exchanged great saves to end the period, as Sullivan stopped a two-on-nothing by denying junior forward Wade Megan. Millan followed it up by stopping a wrist shot by freshman center Stu Higgins. The period ended scoreless.

The second period didn’t differ much from the first, other than the addition of scoring and the subtraction of two key players.

Six minutes into the second period, Courtnall was dismissed after a 5-minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct. Seconds after UMaine junior forward Adam Shemansky was laid-out at the center of the ice, Courtnall decked junior defender Mike Cornell to earn the early shower.

Millan kept the game level seconds into the power play after Flynn had a nice look at net. The Edmonton native wasn’t unable to keep the puck out for the penalty’s entirety as Anthoine scored his fourth goal of the season after a nice centering pass by Beattie.

“It’s something me and [Beattie] work on in practice,” Anthoine said. “He’s spot on in his passes and I’ve been pretty accurate on my shots. I tried to get it and get rid of it as soon as I can.”

Just seconds after the go-ahead goal, Flynn followed Courtnall to the locker rooms after a hitting from behind penalty. The Black Bears were able to fend off the 5-minute major, but not before sophomore forward Sahir Gill rattled the post.

UMaine head coach Tim Whitehead was visibly frustrated after the game, quick to dismiss conversation of Flynn’s game misconduct.

“It’s a shame, isn’t it?” Whitehead said of the ejection of his captain.

Millan returned the favor after stopping Abbott’s one-timer.

With 3 minutes remaining in the period, the game went to four-on-four after O’Neill and junior center Ben Rosen were each booked for interference. Cornell followed O’Neill soon after for a high stick, and the Terriers took advantage of the four-on-three, scoring with a scrum in front of the net, bringing the score to 1-1 heading into the final period.

The third period opened with the Black Bears on the power play after freshman defender Alexx Privitera was called for cross checking.

Each team fended off another power play before the Terriers broke the deadlock. Just over 6 minutes into the period, sophomore defender Adam Clendening fired the puck toward Sullivan, only to have it tipped in by Gill.

“There was a battle in the corner, and the puck went back to Clendening and he has great vision,” Gill said. “I tried to get to the net and looked up and made eye contact and he hit my stick.”

BU extended their lead to 3-1 after senior center Corey Trivino connected on his 12th goal of the season. Clendening picked up his third assist of the game.

“We’ve been focused on playing 60 minutes,” Gill said. “It was a process tonight, but it was a feel-good win for us.”

A fourth goal with just under 6 minutes remaining and an empty-netter late in the period sealed the win for the Terriers, who are winners of seven of their last eight.

“I’m not real pleased with how the game finished up, but no excuses,” Whitehead said. “I didn’t see that coming, didn’t anticipate that result in such an evenly played game.”

The Black Bears have a long layoff before traveling to Florida for the annual Florida College Classic on Dec. 29. The Black Bears open that weekend up against Clarkson University.

One of the most successful seasons in program history for the University of Maine football team came to a close after a 35-23 defeat in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals to Georgia Southern University Saturday afternoon in Statesboro, Ga.

The Black Bears end the season at 9-4, improving from a 4-7 record in 2010 and grabbing their first playoff win since 2002.

The Eagles racked up 360 rushing yards with their multi-faceted option attack, while three interceptions by senior quarterback Warren Smith wounded the Black Bears’ chances.

The Georgia Southern rushing attack didn’t waste anytime to get things going, rushing for 28 yards on six carries while mixing in a 32-yard completion on their first drive to take a quick 7-0 lead over the Black Bears.

UMaine’s offense didn’t have the same success on their first attempt, with Smith’s first pass attempt intercepted by sophomore backup quarterback Jerick McKinnon, who was playing in the Eagles’ secondary.

Another long drive by Georgia Southern drained the clock en route to another touchdown, a 2-yard run by junior running back JJ Wilcox.

The Black Bears got the big play they needed on the ensuing kickoff, when senior running back Roosevelt Boone took it back 91 yards for the touchdown, cutting the deficit in half at 14-7.

At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles had outgained the Black Bears by 164 yards on offense.

The Black Bears were able to stop Georgia Southern on fourth-down in their first drive of the second quarter, but UMaine stalled inside the Eagle’s 10-yard line and had to settle for a field goal.

Georgia Southern used all but 31 seconds of the remaining 6 minutes, eventually scoring on another run by Wilcox, giving the Eagles a 21-10 halftime lead.

The Eagles’ only downfall in the first half was penalties, as Georgia Southern amassed eight of them for 54 yards. Other than that, the Eagles held close to a 20 minute advantage in time of possession, obtaining 14 first downs compared to UMaine’s two while amassing 230 rushing yards in the first half.

The Black Bears came within four after their first drive of the second half, capped off by a 12-yard completion from Smith to sophomore tight end Justin Perillo.

A pooch-kick to keep it away from the Eagle’s dangerous return team followed, which gave Georgia Southern a short field to work with.

It took the Eagles just eight plays to find the endzone, highlighted by a 36-yard run by Wilcox, bringing Georgia Southern’s lead back to 28-17.

Another Smith intercepted was followed by a 25-yard completion from Shaw to freshman wide receiver Kentrellis Showers to give the Eagles their biggest lead of the game, 35-17.

Smith went four-of-five on the Black Bears’ next drive, including a 48-yard completion to freshman Arthur Williams. A failed two-point conversion kept the score at 35-23.

A fumble recovery by junior linebacker Sam Shipley gave UMaine the ball back late in the third quarter, but the Black Bears couldn’t convert the turnover into points, turning the ball over on downs.

The Eagles would miss a field goal on their next drive, but would eat up 7 minutes of the clock, giving the Black Bears the ball with less than 9 minutes remaining. UMaine managed to get into the Eagles’ red zone, but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-11, turning the ball over to Georgia Southern.

Another late interception by Smith, his third of the day, sealed the victory for Georgia Southern, 35-23.

The Eagles will move onto the national semifinals, while the Black Bears’ season comes to a close.

The team is in Statesboro, Ga. for an FCS Quarterfinal game against No. 3 Georgia Southern University. Sports Editor Jesse Scardina isn’t there, but he is watching diligently from his Old Town home. His updates, via Twitter, are below.

If you’re also Tweeting about the game, use the hashtag #umfootball. We’ll likely retweet you.

Loading ...

The university denies many of Portland-based ecomaine’s claims, saying the company wasn’t awarded the contract due to prohibitive estimated costs associated with trucking recyclables longer distances.

Three companies bid on the contract, which was awarded to Pine Tree Waste Services Inc., a Hampden-based subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems Inc.

The cover letter for ecomaine’s proposal states the company was “disappointed” with the RFP, adding that it “was drafted with such narrow requirements that it precludes a Maine-owned non-profit company from effectively bidding.”

“We were made aware that the RFP was written with a specific contractor in mind,” the letter continues.

Ecomaine is owned and operated by 21 southern Maine municipalities and lists another 22 as “associate members.” It processed more than 35,000 tons of recyclables using a single-stream system in its the 2010-11 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

The company, which handles recycling for the University of Southern Maine, alleges it wasn’t selected because the request for proposals (RFP) was written in such a way that only Casella could successfully bid.

Missi Labbe, the company’s program development manager, said UMaine’s RFP contained two stipulations making ecomaine ineligible for the contract: The company had to have a minimum of five years of experience operating a similar program and operate a single-stream material recovery facility or transfer station within 30 miles of campus.

Ecomaine’s Portland facility is approximately 145 miles from campus, and the only other bidder’s facility is located in Oakland, approximately 65 miles from campus.

When asked of available transfer points within a 30-mile radius of Orono, Labbe could only think of Pine Tree in Hampden.

“There’s only one, and it’s run by the company they currently have,” she said.

‘Just a technicality’

The proposals were due on July 12. At that point, ecomaine’s single-stream program had been in operation for four years and two months, Labbe said.

June Baldacci, UMaine’s director of purchasing and resource efficiency, denies ecomaine’s allegations. She said the RFP was not drafted with Casella’s other university contract in mind.

Casella currently holds a 20-year contract to build and operate an approximately 6-mile landfill gas pipeline joining Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town and the university’s Steam Plant. That contract recently moved forward after nearly a year of stagnation due in part to fluctuation in the market price for landfill gas.

In a written statement, Baldacci addressed the two stipulations.

“The University transports the material to the transfer station, and [30 miles] was considered to be the most practical limit in terms of cost,” she wrote.

As for the five-year requirement, Baldacci wrote that UMaine “wanted to ensure that the contractor had the necessary experience in processing and marketing recyclables and also that there was a sufficient history of regulatory compliance.”

Labbe said she was also disappointed that the university did not contact ecomaine when the RFP was published. She had come to campus in 2007 to discuss the possibility of installing a single-stream system in general terms.

After offering technical knowledge on how a system could be installed at UMaine, she said, she asked the university to let her know if it ever decided to move forward with a system.

Labbe said she heard from a third party that the RFP was published.

“When the time came, no one contacted us,” she said. “You can’t tell me you don’t know who we are.”

Baldacci said UMaine did contact ecomaine when the RFP was published. A list of six firms contacted includes ecomaine, with a handwritten note that the firm was notified on June 20.

Labbe said she called the university to ask about the RFP and spoke with a young woman whose name she cannot recall now.

“They didn’t really respond with any particulars,” she said. “They simply stated, ‘Well, you know it’s just a technicality.’

“I was stunned,” Labbe continued.

Baldacci denied the correspondence.

“She did not call with any questions about the RFP,” Baldacci said Tuesday, adding that Casella was awarded the contract over ecomaine because “we wanted to make sure we selected the best option.”

Labbe said the “technicality” described by the young woman was the publishing of the RFP, as the university had already decided to award the contract to Casella.

“Nobody in this office would have said this was just a formality,” Baldacci said. “That’s just absolutely incorrect.”

A problem of geography 

Baldacci said no proposals were rejected. Although ecomaine did not meet those two stipulations, the proposal was reviewed with the same scrutiny given to bids from Casella and Maine Resource Recovery Association. She also said the university would have been willing to waive compliance with the two stipulations if a proposal was attractive enough.

MRRA was not awarded the contract due to the company’s requirement that all recyclables be housed in one on-campus container for the company’s trucks to retrieve.

Baldacci said the geographic constraints of campus made installing a container difficult and the machinery on campus available for use in the project would not be able to “upload” materials, meaning it could not lift a container of recyclables to be dumped into a truck.

Currently, Casella picks up materials from multiple zero-sort dumpsters on campus, imitating the university’s trash removal process.

Ecomaine’s proposal said the university would be responsible for transporting the recyclables to its Portland facility or to a hauler within the 30-mile radius.

Baldacci said the university ran into the same uploading problem in that scenario, as trucks carrying recyclables would not be able to lift their loads and transfer them to trucks headed to Portland.

Another issue with ecomaine’s proposal, according to Baldacci, is that “ecomaine proposed variable price options tied to commodity resale markets.” Because those markets can fluctuate, “the actual costs to the university could not be determined and would vary,” she wrote.

Casella’s proposal contained “a fixed cost per ton of $20 to process the materials,” Baldacci continued. “A conservative estimate to transport the materials to Portland was well in excess of $20 per ton.”

Labbe said awarding the contract to Casella exacerbates the environmental issues. Instead of the university driving to Portland, she said, it drives to Hampden, and Casella trucks take materials to Massachusetts to be processed.

“How is that more cost-effective?” she asked. “The material they’re sending out is being trucked right by here.”

‘We were upset’

Despite Labbe’s misgivings, she did not initially speak out about the RFP.

A copy of ecomaine’s cover letter was sent anonymously to Paul Schroeder, an Orono resident who has been a vocal opponent of Juniper Ridge and who is a member of the Trash Tracking Network, set up to compile documents about the landfill, which is operated by Casella. He provided the letter to The Maine Campus.

Labbe suspects someone from the university sent the letter to Schroeder; Baldacci suspects someone from ecomaine sent the letter.

Norridgewock-based Waste Management, Hermon-based BBI Waste Industries and the city of Old Town were also contacted when the RFP was published, but did not submit bids.

According to Baldacci, Old Town had been informed because officials there wanted to be kept in the loop about waste management on campus. Requests for comment from Waste Management and BBI Waste Industries were not returned by press time.

“I don’t feel the towns served by ecomaine would be served well for me to go to battle with the college,” Labbe said. “In all fairness to them, we submitted our proposal, and they reviewed it.

“Normally we wouldn’t call someone out like that. We were upset,” she continued, adding that she did not want her comments to appear as denigrating the university.

The contract awarded to Casella is slated for one year with the possibility for three one-year renewals, meaning another RFP for single-stream recycling might not be published until 2015. The renewals would take place in August of each year.

“Hopefully the next go-round they’ll see the benefit of keeping it local,” Labbe said, expressing desire to continue a working relationship with the university.

They don’t want you to know where they are. In a feeble effort hunting for the house last week, I called Jim Burke for directions.

“You just passed me twice,” he said.

He was right, but he had never seen my car. His security system, with indoor and outdoor cameras feeding into a television, showed him.

Out of a converted barn attached to a farmhouse about 30 minutes north of the University of Maine, Jim and wife, Susan, run Care by Cannabis, a limited liability company.

Care by Cannabis is a cooperative of growers. Jim and Susan Burke, along with a friend from Milo, are medical marijuana patients and “caregivers” allowed by state law to provide up to 5 ounces of marijuana a month to a maximum of five patients with a doctor’s recommendation. Currently, 14 patients, including the 3 caregivers, grow their plants under the Burkes’ roof.

Jim, 52, has a lot to look out for. He said he has invested $60,000 in the growing operation thus far.

Nobody has tried robbing him yet, but Jim has a plan for anyone who may.

“In the daytime, I’m calling the cops,” he said. “If it’s nighttime, I’m greeting them with a gun.”

“Everyone around here knows he’s got 20 guns upstairs,” Susan, 40, piped up.

“I’m known as a sportsman,” he said.

But even with guns, the marijuana production business has its struggles­­ — the Burkes can attest to that.

‘You’ll do anything’

From its roots in a single room, the growing operation now comprises eight, with average electric bills for the property running $2,000 per month.

Two of the rooms are chiefly used to hold flowering plants while four others serve a variety of purposes from drying harvested stock to vegetative growth — those plants yet to bloom. One room, a secondary kitchen, is used for preparation and genetics work to create a patient’s perfect plant. A space in the basement holds male plants, sequestering their pollen in an area separated from the females in an effort to control genetic lines and avoid a seedy finished product.

By Christmas, Care by Cannabis will be maxed out with its number of permissible patients. The three caregivers will have 15 patients and won’t be legally able to take any more. Patients from Piscataquis to Kennebec counties are on the roster, Jim said, and there’s a waiting list for spots.

And in two years, he said, all business expenses will be paid off and profit will roll in.

Jim had been working heavy construction for Brewer-based Cianbro for 18 years when doctors discovered he had small-cell lung and bone cancer in 2009. While working there, he was subject to periodic drug testing, a stipulation that excluded marijuana as a medicine.

“When I came down with cancer, I had people dropping off free pot,” he said. “Trust me. When you find out you have cancer, you’ll go online and you’ll do anything to stay alive — legal or not.”

Jim left his job with Cianbro and underwent chemotherapy and radiation to try to beat the tumor, all while using marijuana. He said he went through the treatments with 12 others.

“I was the only one walking at the end of it, I believe. They were so worn out from it,” he said.

In contrast to his weakened counterparts, Jim said he gained 50 pounds going through chemotherapy, which he called “incredible.” He now is in remission and uses marijuana chiefly for pain management. Still, he can’t stand for more than four hours a day without severe pain.

“Not only did it help with pain and appetite, I believe it shrunk the tumor,” he said.

Contrary to cases of systemic abuse cited by those opposed to the medical marijuana movement, Jim said there isn’t a patient Care by Cannabis has who doesn’t need help. Some have cancer. Some have Crohn’s disease. Jim said he even has a strain of pot that works well for epileptics.

“Most every one of them is using a cane, walker or wheelchair,” he said. “They’re crippled — no doubt whatsoever.”

The Burkes also aim to keep prices low, and Jim thinks his prices may be the lowest in the state.

Though prices are slated to increase by $25 soon, the Burkes’ average strain sells for approximately $150 an ounce, except for the purest forms of sativa — one of three species of cannabis, known for inducing energetic highs and stimulating appetite, that is rarely used for the chronic pain management most of his clients seek.

Jim didn’t mention a recently announced 5 percent tax of marijuana sold for medicinal purposes levied by the Maine Revenue Services, reported Nov. 3 by the Capitol News Service, as a reason for the increase.

According to Patrick Robinson, a board member of Compassionate Caregivers of Maine, a nonprofit group aiming to provide patients with qualified caregivers, the normal market price for caregivers is approximately $250 per ounce. Dispensaries are usually upward of $300 per ounce.

“Profit isn’t a bad word. Greed is,” Jim said. “I keep my prices low because it’s legal and I can.”

And with Jim, you get a free consultant. If patients don’t have enough money to afford his product, he’ll advise them on how to grow their own.

“There’s no charge for talking,” he said. “Talk, as they say, is cheap.”

Insurance woes

While Jim says he’s leading the pack in a back-to-the-land industry with the potential to create thousands of jobs in Maine, he’s also had scares.

According to state records, the company became an LLC in December 2010. Jim, the company’s treasurer and spokesman, said they opened for business in January. Susan serves as president.

Jim said when he phoned the insurer of his home, vehicles and boat about a business risk insurance quote on Care by Cannabis, they said they would get back to him and hung up.

“Fifteen minutes later, they called to say, ‘All your policies are cancelled,’” he said. “I got a mortgage, I have delivery vehicles, and I’ve been a paying customer.”

He provided The Maine Campus with a non-renewal letter on his homeowners insurance dated June 8 from The Concord Group Insurance Companies signed by Michael Nolin Jr., vice president for underwriting.

The letter cites “increased liability exposure” because of a marijuana business on premise, telling him the policy would lapse June 27.

When asked the company’s policy on insuring known medical marijuana businesses, Concord spokesman John Natale, via email, only cited to the company’s privacy policy. He didn’t respond to following inquiries.

The Burkes’ old policies were through Allen/Freeman/McDonnell Insurance Agency, a Brewer office that sells insurance through the Concord Group based in New Hampshire, where medical marijuana is illegal.

After learning of the cancellation, Jim said he sought out Orono-based State Farm Insurance agent Bobby Donnelly.

“Within one day’s time, he had me fully insured at a lower rate than I had with Concord,” Jim said. “Bob was good to his word.”

Reached Sunday, Donnelly referred questions to State Farm’s corporate office, confirming he insured the Burkes.

“We elect to insure businesses engaged in permissible practices. We continue to evaluate each risk on its own merit within the guidelines of local and state regulation,” State Farm spokesman Douglas Nadeau wrote in a statement. “Businesses that are appropriately licensed for the sale of medical marijuana may be eligible for a business risk policy under limited circumstances.”

According to Robinson, insurance doesn’t often come up among caregivers. He said Compassionate Caregivers of Maine is more focused on having health insurers pay for patients’ marijuana and organizing caregiving’s business model.

However, he said if he were put in Jim’s position, he would tell the insurance company he was simply a farmer — not a marijuana grower.

“My insurance company is out of Massachusetts, I think, and I wouldn’t tell them,” Robinson said. “The only possible way I would think about telling them is if it were a Maine insurance company.”

Returning to Maine’s roots?

Back in Lagrange, a town of just over 700, Jim reminisced about the time he grew almost all of his own food in a town farm. Only necessities like flour and coffee were purchased in town.

That was years ago. Then, he said, he was skinny, young and could work all day long.

Referencing Northeast Patients Group, the nonprofit owner of four of Maine’s dispensary licenses, which spawned from the leadership of a California dispensary organization, Jim argued for Maine to take a hyper-local look at the business.

“Maybe they should have given the [licenses] to potato farmers,” he said.

Robinson, the caregiver advocate, concurred with Jim’s assessment.

“If the state’s going to give four of our dispensaries to California, we’re going to be pushing for micro business,” he said.

Jim says that’s what Care by Cannabis is — from the six to eight bottles of carbon dioxide he buys wholesale per month to his electric bill to recommending The Captain’s Joint, an Old Town store, for equipment to smoke with.

“Every dime I spend, I spend local,” he said. “I’m a real stickler for that.”

In an era when so many of life’s staples are bought at big-box stores, Jim sees medical marijuana as an economic opportunity for rural Maine.

“There’s not many opportunities for growth in this state,” he said. “We’re getting a population growth because of this industry.”

As the list of marijuana patients grows, Jim believes the medical marijuana industry has the potential to change how Mainers think about agriculture in general.

“It’ll open the eyes a lot to the farmer’s market,” he said. “Hannaford’s — look out.”

Lauri Sidelko, director of UMaine’s Alcohol and Drug Education Program, which helps facilitate  UMaine’s tobacco-free policy, recently addressed the board of trustees on the possibility of instituting a similar ban for other campuses within the system.

“I spoke to the board of trustees about a system-wide ban,” Sidelko said. “I don’t consider it a ban — it’s a policy change.”

However, according to Peggy Markson, system spokeswoman, there are no plans for a system-wide smoking ban.

“It’s not something that the board voted on,” Markson said, adding that she knew of no plans for a system-wide ban. “I spoke to the executive director of Student Affairs, and he said there’s nothing in the works.”

So far, only the Orono and Farmington campuses have considered smoking bans. According to Sidelko, Farmington’s smoking ban will imitate UMaine’s.

“I know Farmington’s plan is starting on [Jan. 1],” she said.

Sidelko added that the possibility of a system-wide ban is certainly there but enforcing one would be a challenge.

Farmington in particular could experience difficulties in achieving compliance at its campus. With public streets intersecting parts of the campus, enforcing a smoking ban could be difficult, if not impossible. Random passers-by may not take kindly to a policy that does not affect them.

“It’s all very different,” Sidelko said. “A campus that is separate like ours makes it easy to enforce, but a campus inside a city with buildings in separate parts raises new problems.”

Additionally, not every campus community would view a tobacco ban in the same light.

“Every campus has their own culture and own standards,” Sidelko said.

At UMaine, the tobacco ban has been met with both positive and negative feedback from students.

“We get plenty of people coming out for and against it,” Sidelko said. “The negative tends to be more outspoken, but we get plenty of positive support as well.”

If more campuses in the University of Maine System follow suit, they will join a groundswell of institutional support for the policy from such schools as the University of Kentucky, University of Florida and University of Michigan, among others.

“Over 500 campuses have gone smoking-free out of 4,200 nationwide,” Sidelko said.

Past polls have shown that smokers are a minority population on college campuses, even though many believe otherwise.

A 2010 American College Health Association report found that just 19 percent of college students reported smoking cigarettes at least once in the last 30 days. Conversely, the perceptions of the same students surveyed showed that students believed more than 80 percent of their peers had smoked in the same time period.

With legislation at both the state and campus levels consistently narrowing where smoking is allowed, the trend certainly doesn’t hold good news for smokers. Sidelko feels smoking will not be welcome on college campuses much longer.

“I think it’s a matter of time — maybe 10 years — before the rest follow suit,” she said.