Marijuana Legalization Opponents Drop Maine Question 1 Recount
AUGUSTA, ME Opponents of Maines Question 1, which was narrowly approved by voters in November,dropped their recount request on Saturday. With the recount challenge dropped, marijuana will become legal for adults 21 or older to possess early next year.
The recount had been underway for two weeks, with no significant change to the vote tally for either side. Had opponents not withdrawn their request, the recountcould have taken up to a month to complete, leaving taxpayers on the hook for an estimated $500,000. Because the recount was ended early,the final price tag for the recount is expected to be much less.
Supporters from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA) can now focus their attention on working towards implementing the measure.
After counting nearly a third of all the ballots in Maine, it was clear that the recount was not going to change the result, wrote David Boyer, campaign manager for Yes on 1, in an email to supporters Saturday. We are grateful that the No on 1 campaign has conceded and look forward to working together towards a successful implementation of Question 1.
Maine was one of four states where voters approved measures to legalize the adult, recreational use of marijuana on election day. Maine voters approved Question1 by less than a one percent margin. Unofficial results of the electionfrom the Secretary of States office show381,692 yes votes to 377,619 no votes, a margin of only4 ...
