PORTLAND, Maine - A congressman from Oregon, where voters have legalized recreational marijuana use, says advocates in Maine would be wise to settle on one ballot initiative in 2016.
Earl Blumenauer, who represents Portland, Oregon, in the U.S. House, is in Maine this week visiting a family camp and making appearances on a range of issues.
Two groups - the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, and Legalize Maine - are gathering signatures to put a measure before voters next year.
Blumenauer says they'd be wise to consolidate their efforts, "to avoid confusion," Blumenauer said. "And to avoid a situation where, maybe people vote for one and against the other, and they end up cancelling each other's vote out. And both of them lose and a majority of people wanted to change."
Blumenauer predicts that the federal government will allow states to regulate marijuana like alcohol within five years.
But Scott Gagnon, of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Maine, which opposes legalization, says Blumenauer's timeline is overly optimistic.