Portland Rep Helps Kill Maine Legalization
Rep. Diane Russell’s third attempt to get marijuana legalization introduced, debated, and passed by the Maine legislature has failed. The Maine Legislative Council voted 5-5 on moving the bill forward, which can only happen with a majority vote and not a tie vote. The defeat of the proposal means the legislature cannot consider legalization again until 2015.
Residents of Maine’s largest city, Portland, voted two-to-one in favor of a symbolic legalization initiative for the city that allows for the legal possession of up to 2.5 ounces. That matches the limit called for in Rep. Russell’s defeated statewide proposal, which also calls for the legalization of personal home grows up to six plants and mandates a regulated retail market.
One of the five no votes that derailed the initiative came from Senate President Justin Alford. Despite being a representative from the city of Portland, he ignored the overwhelming support among his constituents for legalization to help ensure healthy Mainers who smoke pot remain criminals. Our friends at NORML have called for Maine residents and especially Portlanders to contact Senator Alford and Maine’s representatives.
David Boyer, Marijuana Policy Project’s statewide director for Maine, expressed deep disappointment in Sen. Alford’s representation of his district’s voters. “To have a senator that represents a large portion of Portland, where an average of 80 percent of voters supported the initiative, is kind of disheartening,” Boyer said. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine any other issue that has the support of four out of five voters that is rejected by their elected officials.
Tabling of the recreational marijuana legalization bill comes as a victory for the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM), a lobbying group representing the interests of the established medical marijuana dispensary industry patients and caregivers. It recently sent a letter to its members urging them to call legislators to oppose Rep. Russell’s legalization bill. Paul McCarrier, spokesman for MMCM, claimed legalizing marijuana for healthy people would “threaten to undo the [medical marijuana] system that’s in place and create an underground market for marijuana.”
There’s no way of knowing how many voters called Sen. Alford, urging him to vote no on legalization at the behest of MMCM. Sen. Alford may have already been ready to vote contrary to the will of 80% of his constituents. Regardless, MMCM got what it wanted and healthy people in Maine will have to continue shopping on the underground market for marijuana until the legislature tries again in 2015 or the people put it to a vote in 2016.
