Proponents behind a campaign to repeal key provisions of the state’s voter-approved adult-use marijuana legalization law have failed to collect the necessary signatures to place the measure on the November 2026 ballot.
The effort, which thus far has been solely funded by out-of-state dark money from a single prohibitionist group, seeks to recriminalize the home-cultivation of small amounts of cannabis and shut down the state’s regulated adult-use cannabis industry. Maine is among a number of legalization states, along with Arizona and Massachusetts, being targeted by the group. On Monday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also announced that he’d like to see his state’s voter-initiated medical cannabis access law repealed.
“Statewide marijuana legalization and medicalization laws are facing existential threats,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “How successfully we respond to these threats will define the trajectory of our movement for years to come. The public remains committed to preserving adult-use legalization and medical cannabis access, and it is our responsibility to galvanize this public opinion and ensure that it prevails at state houses and at the ballot box.”
It is anticipated that the group behind Maine’s repeal effort will now aim to qualify the measure for the 2027 ballot. According to the group’s mid-January campaign finance filing with the state Ethics Commission, it has over $1.5 million in campaign contributions still available.
Additional information is available from NORML’s Take Action Center and Election Central.