Voters will likely decide this November whether to allow the medical use of marijuana under a doctor’s supervision.
Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky said proponents turned in sufficient signatures to place the measure on the 1999 state ballot. The proposal seeks to allow seriously ill patients to possess and cultivate marijuana for medical purposes if they have a recommendation from their physician.
Maine law mandates that all ballot questions must first go before the Legislature. Unless lawmakers approve the initiative exactly as proposed, voters have the opportunity to accept or reject it in November.
The proposal asks, “Do you want to allow patients with specific illnesses to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for treatment, as long as such use is approved by a doctor?”
Maine’s medical marijuana is modeled after an unsuccessful 1997 Senate bill that sought to exempt patients from criminal penalties if their use of marijuana was approved by a physician.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup, Esq. or Paul Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500. Additional information is also available from Americans for Medical Rights @ (310) 394-2952.