Backers of a marijuana legalization effort disqualified last week by the Maine secretary of state’s office sued the state on Thursday, saying the decision should be overturned. The dispute centers on more than 17,000 signatures that were tossed out by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and notarized by Stavros Mendros, the president of Olympic Consulting, […]
Maine
Legalization Initiative Fails to Qualify For Maine Ballot
AUGUSTA –– An effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Maine did not qualify for the November ballot, according to state election officials. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said in a statement that the proposal did not have enough valid signatures of Maine voters. The campaign needed 61,123 signatures. According to Dunlap’s office, the […]
Maine Group Says They Have Enough Signatures For Legalization Ballot Measure
The group pushing for a November referendum on marijuana legalization will submit its signatures to the secretary of state Monday, paving the way for a decision on whether Maine should join the growing number of states to accept recreational use of the drug. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which backs a bill that […]
In 2015, Medical Marijuana Use Climbed in Maine
Mainers bought $23.6 million in medical marijuana from dispensaries last year, a 46 percent increase driven by multiple factors, including patients seeking alternatives to prescription painkillers and more doctors certifying people to use the drug, according to dispensary operators. The operators say the increase in sales illustrates the growing willingness of patients and doctors to […]
First New Hampshire Medical Marijuana Patient Will Buy Her Pot in Maine
The first New Hampshire resident to be certified as a medical marijuana patient will travel to Maine Friday to buy marijuana from a Portland dispensary. Linda Horan, a 64-year-old Alstead resident with end-stage lung cancer, last month won a lawsuit that allowed her to become certified as a medical marijuana patient so she could buy […]
Maine Marijuana Legalization Groups Agree to Work Together
AUGUSTA, Maine — The two campaigns that have been jousting to put competing marijuana legalization questions on Maine’s 2016 state ballot have coalesced behind one plan, organizers announced Monday. It ends an awkward, rancorous duel that divided marijuana advocates and potentially scared away large national donors who would already have given to the effort to […]
Could Maine Be a Leader in the Recreational Marijuana Industry?
Maine is poised to be a leader in the recreational marijuana business because of its success with medical cannabis, the head of the state’s largest medical marijuana dispensary group said Wednesday. Patricia Rosi, CEO of the Wellness Connection of Maine, said the state could benefit financially by allowing recreational marijuana sales and joining the country’s […]
Maine Legislators Reject Marijuana Legalization Bills
AUGUSTA, Maine — If Maine is going to “free the weed,” the Legislature wants no part of the process. Lawmakers in the House and Senate overwhelmingly affirmed on Monday that they would not pass a law to legalize, tax and regulate recreational use of marijuana. The House rejected LD 1380, a bill by longtime legalization […]
Bill to Legalize Marijuana Falters in Maine Legislature
AUGUSTA — Members of a legislative committee voted Thursday to reject a bill seeking to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Maine. However, one of the bill’s sponsors said the real fight will be on the House floor and then likely at the ballot box in 2016, regardless of how things play out in the […]
Groups in Maine Clash Over Legalizing Adult-Use Marijuana
AUGUSTA — Law enforcement officials, public health organizations and critics of the “war on drugs” clashed Wednesday over bills seeking to legalize marijuana, offering a potential preview of statewide debate over recreational use of the drug. Sponsors of the two bills — Democratic Reps. Diane Russell and Mark Dion of Portland — argued that marijuana’s […]
