Maine approves recreational marijuana use

In 2016, things are looking greener than ever before. It was advice that people who are 21 or older will be allowed to use up to 2½ ounces of marijuana. Tonight, a majority of voters statewide agreed with that assessment.

Among them: the allowable amount of pot for personal use, how to ensure quality, whether to approve cookies and other alternative formats, cracking down on drugged driving, education efforts, protecting children, pricing, taxation and revenue. – Erik Altieri, Executive Director at NORML.

The race remains too close to call with more than 95 percent of precincts reporting.

Industry stakeholders are hinting that the election results could be a tipping point for the drug to be rescheduled at a federal level, a move that would lift many regulations surrounding cannabis business, including restraints on banking. There would also be a 15 percent tax on wholesale marijuana sales.

States will now get to work devising a regulatory framework for businesses to set up and commence activity.

Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, one of the top backers of legalization in Congress, said the new administration “is going to inherit a landscape unlike any in our history” and predicted that Trump will not interfere with states. A year ago we came only nine votes shy of winning an amendment to stop federal interference with state marijuana laws.

Elsewhere, recreational marijuana scored its first major victories east of the Rockies.

But the CEO of Privateer Holdings, a USA -based private equity firm that focuses on investing in the marijuana sector, says he expects Canadian producers will enter into partnerships and joint ventures with their neighbours to the south following the referendums. This is the largest number of states that have considered nullifying marijuana prohibition in a single election cycle. “That is voters are rejecting the failures of criminalization and embracing these sort of regulatory alternatives”. California voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday allowing recreationa.

Arizona, Washington, Colorado and ME voted to raise the minimum wage, with Arizona, Colorado and ME pushing for an hourly wage of $12 by 2020. Medical marijuana is exempt from sales tax. Interestingly enough, Maine’s motto is “Dirigo” or “I’ll lead”. The New York county borders western MA. They joined four other states and Washington, D.C., which had already passed similar laws. Once recreational dispensaries receive their licenses, it will be illegal to cultivate marijuana in a residence within 25 miles of a recreational dispensary.