AUGUSTA — Thirty-five state lawmakers are listed as co-sponsors of L.D. 1229, an “Act to Tax and Regulate Marijuana.” The final co-sponsor list includes Democrats, Republicans, an independent and the state representatives of the Penobscot Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseets.
The bill was referred March 26 to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
“Eighty-five percent of high school seniors are telling us they have easy access to marijuana. It is time for a more rational, pragmatic and effective approach to reducing youth consumption,” said Russell.
LD 1229 would make legal the private possession and home-growing of limited amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and older. It directs the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to license and regulate marijuana retail stores, cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities and testing facilities. It would also enact an excise tax of $50 per ounce on wholesale sales. The bill would allow the state to begin regulating the cultivation, processing, and distribution of industrial hemp. If state lawmakers approve the bill this session, it will be referred to voters in November.
“We all recognize this issue is coming to Maine,” said Russell, D-Portland, the bill’s sponsor. “It is clear from the strong number of co-sponsors that the Legislature is ready to take this issue seriously and to set up a robust infrastructure to properly regulate and tax marijuana – before the genie gets out of the bottle. The people of Maine would then be able to decide for themselves at the ballot box whether they want to legalize marijuana.”
In 2009, only 39 members of the Maine House voted in support for similar legislation. The Senate did not vote.
