Recently, Gov. LePage introduced a bill, LD 1811, to crack down on heroin and cocaine trafficking. While we disagree with his approach (doubling-down on the War on Drugs) Sen. David Dutremble and Rep. Corey Wilson have crafted a compromise proposal in committee that would address many of the hard-drug addiction issues Maine faces, while putting marijuana legalization on the ballot before Maine voters.
Their proposal would create a three-legged stool that includes enforcement of high-level traffickers, increased funding for addiction treatment, and a referendum to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana put before Maine voters in 2015.
The state Senate and the House of Representatives are expected to vote on this measure very soon. Please call your State Senator and urge them to support the “Dutrumble/Wilson minority report on LD 1811. Let the people decide on marijuana legalization.”
The number for the Senate switchboard is (207) 287-1540. The number for the House switchboard is (207) 287-1400 (they can direct you to your appropriate legislator).
You can also look up your elected officials and their contact information to reach them directly here.
If the governor insists on cracking down on hard drug traffickers lets at least take responsible, adult marijuana consumers off the battlefield.
How irresponsible to recommend that people support legislation without seeing the wording! This is Maine…things work different here! We may not want this at all as it’s written.
New York State senate has already met 30 times this year and have not brought either the medical or legization bills forward to be voted on yet.
After Easter vacation, the Senate meets again from April 23 until June 19. After June 19 it’s game over until next year while campaigning goes into full swing.
I say if Greg Ball from Westchester doesn’t get his head out of his ass and force these bills up for a vote, than every gateway theory racist politician must be voted out.
Maine must wait until 2015 if this state voters issue even passes. New York is only a Senate vote and Governor Cuomo’s signature away from creating the greatest job growth industry boom in New York since the NYS Reservoir project (think Colorado but with New York money).
Honestly I hate smoking, as a cancer survivor I would like other options. Yes I vaporize but an edible would be so much better. All my doctors can prescribe are opiates, yet we all scratch our heads and wonder how people like Philip Seymor Hoffman gets addicted to heroin.
Help us keep opiates out of our bodies in the first place. Opiates were made for end of life pain relief, if you are not going to die then once the opiate addiction starts it can be very difficult to stop.
A safer, wiser alternative is best. Sure our kids may find our stash but if we educate them to wait until they are old enough to experiment,it’s a lot better than arresting them.
But if my kid finds my stash I hope he takes my weed and not my pills. This way he will still be alive for me to kick his ass like a parent should.
Jobs, jobs, jobs, food.
Use tax proceeds from mj sales to fund drug interdiction against meth and crack.
You see how peaceful and orderly the first sales in Colorado were since legalizing marijuana? That is what legalization looks like.
No government has any moral authority to tell anybody what they can or cannot ingest. None.
No government has any moral authority to tax a person for growing or possessing a plant. Self ownership is far better than “granted permission”.
I do not use “hard drugs”, but it is not my business to jail those who do.
Maine would be a great state to see The Hemp Herb be decriminalized and avialable to all!
I sure would like to have a private mj garden!
Ray, opiates have there place, they are a highly successful antidepressant for one, no one needs to crack down on hard drugs IT DOESNT WORK, legalize marijuana and decriminalize all other drugs, allow addicts to go to a clinic 2x a day for a hit, this is humane and will drastically lower property crime and robbery etc, because you wont have to steal for a fix
Marijuana is an Antidepressant, anti anxiety, pain relieving wonder drug that can replace a vast amount of commercial drugs. Its obvious that the issue of legalization isnt based on moral issues but a monetary one for those who are in charge.