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Couple days old, but why not
Maine's governor vetoes marijuana bill - Nov. 3, 2017
Maine House upholds Paul LePage?s veto of recreational marijuana regulations - Lewiston Sun Journal
LePage justifying his decision:
States with legal industries have been the target of zero federal legal actions. Jeff Ima****ingelf Sessions has expressed his desire to stamp out Marijuana completely, but has failed to take any action. He failed to secure funding for any action against medical laws. He's really up to his pointy ears in fail. The ballot question only passed by .6%, so I understand the governors hesitation, but citing concerns over federal interference is a thin excuse.
Rebuttal from NORML:
While I understand this man has an agenda he's pushing, he makes a good point about the black market and tax revenue. In a state with huge .... *motions with hands* tracks o' land, enforcement is nigh impossible and most people know at least 1 person with a garden.
Maine is also a state where work is extremely hard to find. A legal marijuana industry would generate jobs in a place where they're sorely needed. As it stands, it's an attractive source of illicit income for anyone with a green thumb and access to a secluded location.
From the second link:
Maine's governor vetoes marijuana bill - Nov. 3, 2017
Maine House upholds Paul LePage?s veto of recreational marijuana regulations - Lewiston Sun Journal
LePage justifying his decision:
"Until I clearly understand how the federal government intends to treat states that seek to legalize marijuana, I cannot in good conscience support any scheme in state law to implement expansion of legal marijuana in Maine," he said, in a letter to state lawmakers. "We need assurances that a change in policy or administration at the federal level will not nullify those investments."
States with legal industries have been the target of zero federal legal actions. Jeff Ima****ingelf Sessions has expressed his desire to stamp out Marijuana completely, but has failed to take any action. He failed to secure funding for any action against medical laws. He's really up to his pointy ears in fail. The ballot question only passed by .6%, so I understand the governors hesitation, but citing concerns over federal interference is a thin excuse.
Rebuttal from NORML:
Erik Altieri, spokesman for the pro-legalization organization NORML, said LePage's veto "is just the latest in a line of anti-democratic attacks coming from his office and his stonewalling will only ensure the prolonged existence of a criminal black market in Maine and deny the state coffers of needed tax revenue."
While I understand this man has an agenda he's pushing, he makes a good point about the black market and tax revenue. In a state with huge .... *motions with hands* tracks o' land, enforcement is nigh impossible and most people know at least 1 person with a garden.
Maine is also a state where work is extremely hard to find. A legal marijuana industry would generate jobs in a place where they're sorely needed. As it stands, it's an attractive source of illicit income for anyone with a green thumb and access to a secluded location.
From the second link:
The bill was the result of more than nine months of work by a special committee tasked with implementing the law that voters narrowly approved last November, putting Maine among the eight states and the District of Columbia that had legalized the adult use of marijuana. The 74-62 vote Monday fell 17 votes short of the two-thirds margin required to overturn LePage’s veto.
The path forward for the ballot-box law remains unclear, with the current moratorium on recreational sales expiring Feb. 1. The Legislature reconvenes in January and could pass legislation then, but it’s uncertain whether the political dynamic will change enough in the next two months for an implementation law to be passed or the moratorium to be extended. If neither occurs, the ballot box law would take effect, a prospect that some lawmakers find alarming.
“I feel like we legalized gasoline, but not gas stations,” said Rep. Martin Grohman, a Biddeford independent.