Cannabis is officially legal in Maine

The initiative Question 1 voted last November to end cannabis prohibition in the state of Maine took effect yesterday, effectively making the possession and cultivation of limited quantities of cannabis legal for adults over the age of 21.

«The era of cannabis prohibition in Maine is finally coming to an end,» said David Boyer, political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, who led the Yes campaign during the campaign. «Responsible adult cannabis users will no longer be hunted down and treated as criminals. The police will be able to spend more time on serious crimes rather than punishing adults for a substance that is safer than alcohol».

With the Question 1, Under the new law, adults over the age of 21 can legally carry up to 70g of cannabis, grow 6 flowering plants and 12 growing plants, and keep their harvest at home. Cannabis consumption in public is still illegal, as is driving under the influence. The law will not affect workplace drug-testing policies or their right to prohibit cannabis consumption.

«Now that adults can legally possess and consume cannabis, they will need places where they can legally buy it,» explains Boyer. «The next step is to take production and sales out of the hands of criminal networks. We hope that the Legislature will respect the will of the voters and work intelligently to establish a suitable regulatory system.».

Cannabis is now legal for adults in 8 states, including Maine, and in the District of Columbia. The measures approved by Americans last November in California, Massachusetts and Nevada took effect on November 9, December 15 and January 1 respectively.

«Every time a state legalizes cannabis for adults, support for similar laws grows in other states,» says Mason Tveret, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project. «Legislatures across the country are now looking towards proposals to legalize cannabis like alcohol. Why continue policies as useless, problematic and antiquated as cannabis prohibition when your neighbors are moving forward on more appropriate policies?».

We wonder too 🙂

Via MPP.