Maine could get to be one of the first East Coast states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, as per activists who vanquished a last-ditch challenge from Maine state authorities attempting to keep voter activity on the matter away from the ballot in November. On Wednesday, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s office reported that the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol battle had effectively assembled the 61,000 signatures needed to put the matter before voters.
Weeks prior, Dunlap told the coordinators who had successfully gathered more than 100,000 signatures (roughly 60 percent more than the number needed) that an amazing 48 percent of the names on their list were invalid. Activists tested the invalidity of their signatures in court, and a Kennebec County Superior Court judge decided that Dunlap’s office had disgracefully invalidated 5,000 appeals without really surveying everyone separately. The court requested Dunlap to perform another count. This time around, Dunlap’s office checked and affirmed enough legitimate signatures for the activity to be included on the ballot.
“Seven circulators whose petition signatures were invalidated due to the notary signature of Stavros Mendros have submitted affidavits swearing under oath that they signed their petitions in front of Mendros as notary,” Dunlap’s office reported. “Based on those sworn statements, Secretary Dunlap has now certified the 11,305 signatures collected by those circulators that meet the requirements to be included as valid signatures, despite the variability in the original notary signature on the circulator’s oath.”
If voters pass the bill, those who are twenty-one or older will be able to have the right to have up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, as well as grow up to six cannabis plants in their homes and an even larger amount of immature plants and seedlings. Unlike other states which have put control of cannabis sales under the scope of liquor control boards, Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol places licensing and regulation under the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
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