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Maine Legislators Overturn Governor’s Veto of Recreational Cannabis

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]G[/dropcap]ov. Paul LePage recently vetoed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis in Maine last week, which appeared to be a major setback, but state legislators have decided to overturn the governor’s veto.

According to United Press International, both the Maine House and the Senate (at least a two-thirds majority reached in each chamber) voted to overturn the veto by LePage.

Now, citizens of Maine can finally get ready for the rollout of legal recreational cannabis sales. Voters originally approved legal cannabis in 2016, but the state still had the power to override the decision. LePage originally objected on the grounds that cannabis was federally illegal.

There were some debates getting the bill passed, however, and the new bill LD 1719 is now more strict than the original recreational legalization in Maine. New regulations include a ban on recreational cannabis clubs and only legalizing cannabis consumption on private property. It also reduces the amount of legal plants per household to three instead of six, but allows Maine taxpayers to apply for business licenses, and then grow an unlimited amount of cannabis if they become legal growers. This is because the state wants to make sure that money does not go out of state, but instead goes to local businesses.

Maine has consistently held liberal policies, especially towards cannabis. Officials recently outlawed cannabis drug testing in the workplace, and hemp grower applications have been opened up in the state as well. Even though legal cannabis clubs will no longer be allowed, this is clearly a sign that even if certain lawmakers oppose legal cannabis, most states are ready to push forward and legalize. It appears that Maine will be one of the next states to move forward with recreational cannabis.

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