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Portland, Maine votes to legalise recreational marijuana
http://www.necn.com/11/06/13/Portlan...21&feedID=4212
Quote:
(NECN: Amy Sinclair) - Portland, Maine is now the first city on the East Coast to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Voters approved Question 1 by a margin of 67-33 on election day, effectively removing penalties for possession of up to 2.5 oz. for people 21 and older.
Champagne took a back seat to an enormous joint Tuesday night as revelers celebrated the decisive victory at a Portland pub, but the celebration was quickly snuffed out.
Less than 24 hours later, the state director for the Marijuana Policy Project was back to business, talking about the next battleground.
"Next up is working with the legislature to tax and regulate it, like alcohol, at the state level," said David Boyer, the MPP's Political Director.
So far state lawmakers have rejected efforts to legalize marijuana. But bill sponsor state Rep. Diane Russell says Tuesday's enthusiastic "yes" vote may give lawmakers the push they need going forward.
"We were just four votes shy in the House last time, so we're very close to getting it done in the legislature," said Russell, who plans to reintroduce her bill in the next session.
If the votes still aren't there, Boyer says they'll work to get it on a statewide ballot in 2016. He says he believes even socially conservative Mainers will be swayed by the economic argument.
"We estimate that taxing at the state level will bring $30-50 million in revenue," said Boyer. "That's a lot of money, especially in Maine."
But the new law is confusing. Portland residents may have said yes to marijuana, but it remains illegal on the federal and state level. In Maine it's legal only for medicinal purposes under a doctor's supervision.
So what's a Portland police officer to do going forward if he or she catches someone in possession of pot?
"This is nothing where we're waiting around the corner to pounce on someone smoking a joint, but we will enforce the law when we come into contact with that," says Portland Police Chief Michael Saushchuck.
He says possession of up to 2.5 ounces remains a civil violation under state law punishable by fines of up to $ 1,000. Saushchuck and others in the law enforcement community are more concerned about the message the ordinance may send to those in the drug trade, because the ordinance provides no legal means to purchase the drug.
"So we're telling drug dealers that this is a location that's ripe for business?" he wondered.
He says selling or "furnishing" marijuana in any amount remains a criminal offense, at least until the Legislature or the people of Maine say otherwise.
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