Maine to Vote on Marijuana Legalization; Referendum Officially Added To Ballot For November Elections

Maine's "Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol" has had a major progress after it was announced that the matter will be part of their general election ballot in 2016. This means supporters of the program will be voting on marijuana legalization on November, the same day they are voting for their president.

Medical marijuana has already been legalized in Maine and residents could vote to legalize pot without a prescription, The Inquisitr reported. This was after thousands of supposedly verifiable signatures were rejected.

David Boyer, the Campaign Manager for "Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol" said in a statement that Maine voters will have the opportunity to "adopt a more sensible marijuana policy." He added that it has been a longer wait than expected, but nothing compared to how long the people of Maine have been waiting to end the "failed policy of marijuana prohibition," WCSH 6 reported.

Boyer also said that it is time for Maine to replace the underground market with a regulated system and it is time to redirect the state's limited law enforcement resources toward serious crimes rather than enforcing the failed prohibition families. He concluded the statement saying it is time to stop punishing adults for "using a substance that is significantly less harmful than alcohol."

Last month, proponents of the Maine marijuana legislation efforts filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State. A court-ordered reviews of the petitions then pushed through and it was found out that the "Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol" submitted more than the needed 61,123 signatures to qualify, The Weed Blog reported. Initially, the Secretary of State saidthe campaign was disqualified because there were only 51,543 signatures submitted.

According to a poll released this week by the Maine People's Resource Center, nearly 54 percent of voters will approve the initiative.

If the initiative will push through, 21 years old and older will be legally allowed to grow and possess small amounts of marijuana.

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Maine, general elections, Marijuana Legalization, November, Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Maine voters, Presidential elections 2016, pot, Legalization

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