Maine Ballot Initiative Seeks to Revoke Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

A group of Maine voters submitted a petition last month seeking a ballot initiative to repeal the state’s adult-use cannabis market, Marijuana Moment reports.

Cannabis possession would remain legal under the proposal outlined in the petition, which was signed by Sen. Scott Cyrway (R) and a senior policy advisor for former Republican Gov. Paul LePage. But the initiative contains language to roll back the state’s regulated adult-use marketplace and revoke Mainers’ right to grow their own cannabis plants at home. The proposal would not make changes to the state’s medical cannabis program, although it would task officials with streamlining requests for adult-use businesses to convert their licenses to the medical cannabis program.

Maine state Rep. David Boyer (R), who helped the state’s voter-approved 2016 cannabis legalization initiative succeed while working for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in the report that the state’s cannabis reforms are a proven success, and that the initiative “ignores the will of Maine voters who chose to end the failed era of prohibition nearly a decade ago.”

“Turning back now would only empower criminal enterprises, waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective enforcement, and infringe on the personal freedoms of responsible adults.” — Boyer, via Marijuana Moment

The petition marks the second effort in the Northeast this year to walk back state-level cannabis reforms — in Massachusetts, a citizen-led ballot initiative was filed in August seeking to repeal the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization law.