© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Maine Recreational Pot Advocates Seek Citizen's Initiative Approval

AUGUSTA, Maine - A group seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in Maine has submitted a 30-page application for a citizens' initiative to the Secretary of State's Office.

If the language is approved, the group hopes to begin collecting signatures and eventually put a measure before Maine voters in November of 2016.  

Paul T. McCarrier,  the director of the campaign, says the plan calls for a 10 percent sales tax, and for marijuana to be regulated as an agricultural product with benefits for local growers.

"It's called 'An Act to Legalize Marijuana' and it declares that marijuana has been a vital engine for Maine's rural economy. and the people of Maine declare that marijuana should be legal for people 21 years of age and older," McCarrier says. "And any legalization of marijuana should benefit Maine's economy, supporting Maine-based cultivators, manufacturers, distributors and supply chain providers."

McCarrier says this is the first time in the country that a homegrown group has submitted legislation to legalize marijuana without the backing of a national organization.  

The language must first be reviewed by the Secretary of State's Office before supporters can begin collecting signatures to qualify it for the ballot.