Ray Logan, 56, a Mainer who has been growing marijuana for 30 years, has opened a school to teach others how to cultivate medicinal-quality marijuana plants in their homes. Under Maine's medical marijuana law, registered patients, caregivers and dispensaries can legally grow weed and that's where Marijuana State University comes in.
The first class, held in early April in Portland, Maine, attracted 15 students, most of whom are registered medical marijuana patients who want to grow their own weed to treat medical symptoms instead of paying hundreds of dollars an ounce to registered caregivers or licensed dispensaries.
"There's a huge need for (knowledge), and some people aren't sure where to get it," Logan told pressherald.com.
Logan's second class is scheduled for May 7 in Auburn, Maine, where he hopes to double his first workshop's attendance. The three-hour class costs $79, or $59 for students, senior citizens and veterans.
To avoid problems with authorities, Logan uses basil and other legal household plants in place of marijuana when demonstrating planting techniques to the class. An indoor garden shop in Portland called HTG Supply provides equipment for the class.
In Maine, registration cards have been issued to 982 medical marijuana patients, one of whom is Logan. He has legally used the drug for years to ease pain resulting from a skydiving accident in 1996.
"Because of things like my school, people will say, 'Oh, wow, maybe there is something more to this medical marijuana,'" Logan said. "I think folks are going to see what an amazing plant cannabis really is."
