Maine Governor vetoes cannabis legalization

Last Friday, Republican Governor Paul LePage vetoed the latest version of the bill to regulate recreational cannabis sales. This is the first time a Governor has vetoed a cannabis legalization bill, even though it has been voted by its citizens last November.

«We call on Parliament to override this incomprehensible veto,» said David Boyer, former Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. «7 other states have passed legalization initiatives in the last 5 years, and none have seen this type of obstruction from the Governor.».

David Boyer supported and participated in the campaign to promote the Question 1, the text proposing the legalization of cannabis. Paul LePage was openly opposed to the idea, arguing that the cannabis was a «gateway drug». He then declared that he would support legalization if it passed the popular referendum. In November 2016, the Question 1 passed by a hair's breadth, at 50.3% Yes, with a lead of just 4,000 votes.

Boyer has spent the last year trying to bury this bill. He issued a press release last Friday in which he explains that he arrived at his veto decision after consultations with the Attorney General Jeff Sessions (notoriously anti-cannabis) and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who, despite signing the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, has always been against it.

The bill in Maine would allow any adult over 21 to grow and consume cannabis for recreational use. The Governor's veto suspends any move forward on the subject, unless the State Legislature overrides the veto with a 2/3 majority.

Edit of 7/11/17 at 8:30 am: Parliament did not have the majority to override the Governor's veto. Legalization is therefore suspended.