DION TO WORK WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA APPLICANT

He will join the board of a firm hoping to run five dispensaries.

Outgoing Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion has agreed to join the
board of directors of a group that has applied to operate five
medical marijuana dispensaries in Maine.

Dion, who is leaving office Dec. 31, said Wednesday he was approached
by Northeast Patients Group last month during a medical marijuana
conference at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

He agreed to serve as an unpaid member of Northeast's board.

"I told them I'd like to work on the issues affecting public safety,"
said the 55-year-old Dion, whose law enforcement career spans 33
years. "I felt it was important to have someone from law enforcement
serving on the board."

Dion has long supported legalizing marijuana for medical use. He said
he was the only police officer in the state who publicly supported a
bill to legalize medical marijuana in 1998.

"Marijuana appears to provide relief for certain types of patients
that pharmaceuticals cannot," Dion said. "What's not clear is the
science behind how it works."

Now, he becomes the first law enforcement official in Maine to commit
to working on behalf of an organization that may be distributing a
substance still considered illegal under federal law.

"I see this as a groundbreaking opportunity. No one else in law
enforcement in Maine is doing this," Dion said.

Dion hopes to serve as a 'bridge' between the pot dispensaries and
law enforcement agencies.

"This is not like methadone clinics, which have created an
adversarial relationship with the police," Dion said.

If Northeast Patients Group was accused of a crime or adopted an
illegal policy, Dion said, he would have to step down from the board.

He does not see his new post posing a conflict of interest.

"As long as I am the sitting sheriff I won't take any compensation,"
Dion said. "It would invalidate my role."

Dion, who has been sheriff for 12 years, says he and another lawyer
plan to open a law practice on India Street in Portland in August.

"In essence, I'm almost like internal oversight. It's an opportunity
for law enforcement to have their boots on the ground," he said.

Becky DeKeuster, executive director and chief executive officer of
Northeast Patients Group, said her organization is fortunate to have
Dion on board.

"Sheriff Dion has a great deal of experience and a sensible
attitude," DeKeuster said. "He wants to see this done correctly in Maine."

Dion is not the only public official who might serve on a medical
marijuana dispensary board.

Cannacorp Inc., which hopes to operate Southern Maine Medicinal
Clinic, lists State Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, as a board member.

The dispensaries must be operated as nonprofits, but there are no
limits on how much officers or directors can be paid.