Maine Pushes Forward

The issue of cannabis reform has moved forward in
Maine. This week, the city of South Portland confirmed that a citizen
initiative to legalize recreational use has qualified for the November 2014
ballot.  The City Council will decide in
early August whether to finalize the actual decision of letting city residents
vote on the issue or not.

The enthusiastic actions of citizens who brought in
over 1,500 signatures—more than 500 over the requirement—are probably a good
indication that voters will have a chance to make their voices heard in the
fall.

For Maine, the cannabis industry is an interesting one.  The medical market has created a widely
accepted cottage industry of caregivers in a mostly rural state.  Caregivers are those who have the right to
grow cannabis for up to five patients per prevailing Maine cannabis law.  These mini-growers, who can now also have one
additional employee, make on average between $25,000-$40,000 a year.

There are, according to current estimates, about
12,000 cannabis patients in the state. 
As Maine also expands the list of conditions that medical patients
qualify for—including PTSD—most reform activists expect this number to increase
dramatically over the next couple of years.

South Portland, although a small municipality, may very
well join the ranks of 3 states—Oregon, Alaska and Arizona— who will see
recreational cannabis on their November ballots.