Marijuana Possession Officially Becomes Legal in Maine on Monday
PORTLAND, ME A voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuanain Maine will officially take effect on Monday, making it legal for adults 21 and older to possess and grow limited amounts of marijuana.
The era of marijuana prohibition in Maine is finally coming to an end, said David Boyer, Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, who served as campaign manager for the Yes on 1 campaign. Responsible adult marijuana consumers will no longer be harassed and treated like criminals. Police will be able to spend more time addressing serious crimes rather than punishing adults for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.
Under Question 1, which voters approved in November and Gov. Paul LePage certified on December 31, adults 21 years of age and older can legally possess up to two and a half ounces of marijuana, grow up to six flowering marijuana plants and 12 non-flowering plants, and possess the marijuana harvested from those plants inside their residence. It will remain illegal to use marijuana in public and to drive while impaired by marijuana. The law will not affect employers drug-testing policies or their rights to prohibit marijuana use by employees.
The Legislature is in the process of establishing a regulated system of marijuana cultivation and sales, which is currently scheduled to be up and running by February 1, 2018.
Now that adults can legally possess and consume marijuana, they need places where they can legally purchase it, Boyer said. The next step is to take the criminal element out of production and sales. We are hopeful that the Legislature will respect the will of the voters and work diligently to establish a sensible regulatory system.
Marijuana is now legal for adults in eight states, including Maine, as well as in the District of Columbia. The measures approved by voters last November in California ...
