Mainers poised to vote on marijuana legalization in November

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — Mainers will have a chance to vote to legalize recreational marijuana in November after all.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap announced Wednesday that about 11,000 signatures his office previously disqualified have now been validated following sworn oaths from seven petition circulators that their petition forms were signed by Stavros Mendros, a Lewiston-based notary whose firm was hired to collect signatures.

An Act to Legalize Marijuana, which will now appear on November’s ballot, was forced by a citizen initiative. If successful, the effort would allow Mainers age 21 or older to use, possess or transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. The initiative would place a 10 percent tax on retail marijuana sales.

Dunlap’s office ruled in March that the petition drive had failed because nearly 48,000 signatures were found invalid. The signatures were re-evaluated after the Maine Business and Consumer Court ruled in the petitioners’ favor on April 9, forcing the state to reconsider.

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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2016/04/27/politics/mainers-poised-to-vote-on-marijuana-legalization-in-november/?ref=regionstate

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[Stryst]

1. We'll definitely cross the 25 state line for medical this year

And probably pick up a recreational state or two. One brick at a time.

[Bad Dog]

2. Interesting BBC article on cannabis in Colorado.

Looks like Maine's cannabis industry will have the same banking problems.

Colorado's cannabis industry is growing fast, with armoured cars full of cash a common sight on Denver's streets. But businesses are stuck in a legal no-man's land - state laws allow the drug to be sold, but federal laws still prohibit it.

I am in a bed and breakfast, and it's Friday evening, Happy Hour. Drinks and nibbles are flowing freely, but there's something else - a sweet, sickly smell in the air. Yes I'm in Denver, the Mile High City, 1,600m in altitude, in Colorado, the first American state to legalise the consumption and sale of cannabis for recreational use, in 2014.

That move has created a new industry - growers, stores, dispensaries, manufacturers and all sorts of ancillary businesses. Until recently this was black market, a criminal activity. Now it's a billion-dollar-a-year industry, paying $135m (£90m) in state taxes.
It all began in the year 2000, after a state-wide referendum changed the Colorado constitution to legalise the use and supply of marijuana for medical purposes. This was not a move led by politicians; the current governor is still opposed. But the people spoke and the legislators had to turn the decision into fact.

Colorado was not the first state to legalise medical cannabis. It's claimed to have many physical and mental effects: easing pain, calming fits, energising or relaxing the body, depending on which particular strain of the drug you use (and which particular dosage).

Now, there is something very weird about cannabis in the US. Using it and growing it is still a federal crime. Though individual states have fiercely defended their own legal rights, marijuana is still officially classified as a schedule one drug, as fearsome to the federal authorities as heroin.

In many other US states, growing the drug in the quantities I've been seeing would land the grower in prison for 20 years. Even legalised, the medical trade has been highly regulated.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35999549

[Sunlei]

3. Then Maine will steal all of the Atlantic shores 'summer vacationers'. New Jersey won't like that.

[jpak]

4. Payback for Christie's stand on legalized MJ

Come on up an git "Crispy" with us - we got Whoppie Pies for the munchies...

[AxionExcel]

5. Well, you know what they say...

[AxionExcel]

6. ...but then after a couple of bong hits, will anyone...

[jpak]

7. and...

[IronLionZion]

8. When will the feds take Cannabis off schedule 1?

It's ranked higher than cocaine and methamphetamine, which have medicinal uses in US hospitals.

Cannabis derived medicines have been submitted for FDA approval, yet is still classified as a dangerous substance with no medicinal value.