FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 30, 2017

Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org

Question 1 takes effect, making Maine the eighth state (in addition to D.C.) in which adults 21 and older can legally possess limited amounts of marijuana; the voter-approved law also allows adults to grow a limited amount of marijuana in their homes

* Statements below from local and national representatives of the Marijuana Policy Project, which led the successful campaign *
PORTLAND, Maine — A voter-approved initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Maine officially took effect 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, Massachusetts, and Nevada took effect on November 9, December 15, and January 1, respectively. The laws in Alaska, Oregon, and D.C. were adopted in November 2014, and the laws in Colorado and Washington were adopted in 2012.

“Every time a state makes marijuana legal for adults, support for enacting similar laws grows in other states,” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, which backed the Question 1 campaign in Maine, as well as the successful campaigns in Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Nevada. “Legislatures around the country are considering proposals to regulate marijuana like alcohol this year. Why cling to a policy as wasteful, problematic, and antiquated as marijuana prohibition while your neighbors are moving forward with more sensible policies?”

###

Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.

Visit www.mpp.org for more information.