Adults in Maine will be able to legally possess and grow personal use quantities of cannabis without penalty beginning January 30, 2017.
Governor Paul LePage on Saturday certified the results of Question 1: The Marijuana Legalization Act. The voter-initiated measure narrowly passed on Election Day and was subject to a partial recount. By law, the measure becomes law 30 days after the Governor has affirmed the results.
At that time, adults who are not participating in the state’s medical cannabis program will be able to legally possess up to two and one-half ounces of cannabis and/or the total harvest produced by six mature plants.
Maine will become the eight US state to eliminate criminal and civil penalties for adults who possess marijuana for their own personal use.
Separate provisions in the measure also establish regulations for the commercial cultivation, retail sale, and social use of cannabis. Regulations governing marijuana-related businesses are scheduled to be in place by August 8, 2017. However, the Governor has called on lawmakers to push back this timeline. Massachusetts lawmakers last week enacted a similar delay to their retail sales program.
Governor LePage has been a strong opponent of implementing Question 1, stating “If there was ever a bill that the legislature should just kibosh, that’s it.” He has also suggested increasing the retail sales tax rates associated with the measure, as well as abolishing the state’s medical cannabis program, which has been in place since 1999 — positions that NORML opposes.
Let’s just hope it lasts. Mr. Sessions is looming…..
May know by the end of the month what the likely-to-be-confirmed AG has planned for legal cannabis. Hold fast.
Jeff Sessions is coming……
FUCK Jeff Sessions
Now I got a reason to save my pennies to vacation in Maine other than for the lobster. I hope the legislature doesn’t delay implementation like Massachusetts.
Legalization equals jobs, American jobs.
I’ve been looking around for all kinds of gold and blonde marijuana strains named after Donald Trump. His hair looks blonde now, but earlier in his life it looked darker.
I’m thinking if Trump cannabis strains are widely popular, it can be brought to the Donald’s attention that he should legalize. If it turns out that Trump is a prohibitionist, it just goes to show you that he is treating a large segment of the population as deplorables after all.
Please develop some blondish or gold strains that are named after Trump somehow.
I see your point: appeal to his vanity. But… who, other than a Trump supporter, would want to smoke a bowl of Trump? Ewwww, gross!
It’s a good idea; but let’s not waste good hash on Trump. Mexican brick weed will do! On second thought, that’s an insult to mota. Okay, I’ve got it now: give him something fake and phony, like himself!
How about oregano? (apologies to any oregano fans out there.)
This is excellent news! More revenue before March and April hits! Hell yes!
That is so awesome that Maine lets the initiative become law 30 days after the Governor affirms the results. I was worried LePage could veto it!
At this point the revenue rolling in will be a stumbling block for any federal Congressman looking at stopping the renewal of the Rorhabacher-Farr amendment this April.
And it’s starting to look like there will be a delay on Sessions hearings for the 10th:
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D08711B2-A200-4D41-A8C6-52E6ACC1047E
He dumped 150,000 pages on his answers to the Senate and from what has been read through already it still looks like incomplete information. He’s dodging or hiding something, but like Trump, what could be worse than what we already know?
Anyway the important thing is we’ve got a crucial Democrat, Feinstein, calling on Grassley to delay his nomination. Every day of delay counts when were implementing fairly taxed, legal state marijuana revenue from Maine, California and Nevada.
Everyone PLEASE keep contacting your federal Senator to block a Sessions nomination!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=19683
Fuck Jeff Sessions!
Oh, Sessions is trying to pretend like the Senate didn’t previously reject him for saying “I thought the KKK was alright till I found out they smoked marijuana,” and hide his un-American and downright illegal civil rights record from the Senate:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jeff-sessions-says-he-handled-these-civil-rights-cases-he-barely-touched-them/2017/01/03/4ddfffa6-d0fa-11e6-a783-cd3fa950f2fd_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-c%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4fc9158d5341
Yeah, like they’ll never notice.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/1140-lawyers-pen-letter-opposing-jeff-sessions-attorney/story?id=44536465
http://www.mynbc5.com/article/police-end-naacp-sit-in-against-attorney-general-nominee-jeff-sessions/8559882
Fuck Jeff Sessions!
Jeez, I even found a prominent author from Maine to segue opposition to Sessions as USAG into this blog:
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/12/07/maine-voices-ag-nominee-failed-to-grasp-authors-point-on-supreme-court-confirmations/
Use this link to help persuade Maine Senators Collins and King to block a Sessions nomination. Sessions consistently lies about his record which proves he is unfit for USAG.
Talk about catch 22… Trump will declare Drug War III at midnight on January 29 just to be an ass.
Checked it out, LePage is a Republican.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/us/paul-lepage-maine-governor.html?_r=0
Worse, LePage and Republican state Congressman are already trying to pull a year delay like Mass:
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/01/03/gov-lepage-says-hes-signed-off-on-legal-marijuana/
Why 9 months? Here’s a guess: just how much money in taxed revenue from marijuana can Maine generate in 9 months before delayed federal confirmations take action?
[Paul Armentano responds: Political leaders in Maine have discussed delaying not just sales but the enactment of the entire law. See NORML’s action alert here: http://norml.org/states/take-action-no-delays-for-maine-legalization.%5D
But be careful, 10g only applies to posession. Sale, trafficking or distribution is still a serious felony punishible up to 7 years in prison:
http://norml.org/laws/item/missouri-penalties-2
And, correct me if Im wrong, but no jail time only applies to people with prior convictions.
Still, considering this decriminalization was achieved legislatively and not through initiative and that an opposing governor decided not to sign it to allow it to pass shows excellent momentum for state legalization nation wide. State legislators are paying close attention to us. This is a good thing.
Woops, thats a first; That was a response meant for Missouri’s new decrim law on another blog page. Of course Maine was an initiative. But Missouri’s legislative efforts do hold some weight; IF enough people in Maine citizen lobby and hold their state legislators accountable. Make them fear 2018. Make them fear the vote. Remember, they work for us!
Of course LePage opposes cannabis legalization.
Let us not forget that this is the same (scumbag) politician who vetoed a bill that would have made NALOXONE more available in his state.
(Naloxone is the drug that reverses the effects of opioids, saving the lives of Americans who have overdosed on opioids or herion).
HOW does someone who is so AT ODDS with the health of the citizens of his state remain governor?
A known quote by Adolf Hitler could explain this: “How fortunate for governments that the people they administer DON’T THINK”.
START THINKING SHEEPLE!
Is it legal to receive marijuana in the mail from another legalized state??