A bill to reform the state’s medical marijuana program appeared headed to Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday. The second major piece of cannabis legislation to pass both houses of the Legislature in as many days would expand the number of people who can qualify for a medical marijuana card, increase the number of state-licensed dispensaries […]
marijuana
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Pot holiday 4/20 traces roots to California high school stoners
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — Friday is April 20, or 4/20. That’s the numerical code for marijuana’s high holiday, a celebration and homage to pot’s enduring and universal slang for smoking. Festivities are planned worldwide, culminating with a synchronized smoke at 4:20 p.m. local time. How the marijuana-loving world came to mark the occasion is […]
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Posted inBusiness
Bill to launch recreational marijuana market is on its way to Paul LePage’s desk
The Legislature is sending a bill to launch the adult-use marijuana market to Gov. Paul LePage Tuesday. LePage now has 10 days to take action on the bill – sign it, allow it to go into law without his signature, or use his gubernatorial veto to try to kill it, which is what the two-term […]
Posted inMaine
Donny Christen urges marijuana advocates to work to change law
SKOWHEGAN — Fighting off the ravages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Monday, marijuana advocate Donny Christen told an assembly of supporters outside the Somerset County Courthouse to keep up the fight for free access to pot and to work to change the laws in Augusta. “The reason we’re here is the fact the plant’s been […]
Posted inMaine
LePage says he will veto retail pot bill
Gov. Paul LePage plans to veto the recreational marijuana bill once it reaches his desk because it would not combine Maine’s medical and adult-use marijuana programs. The two-term Republican has problems with having two regulatory systems and tax structures for different uses of the same plant, according to his press secretary, Julie Rabinowitz. If the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate passes marijuana market bill, and it’s veto proof
The Maine Senate on Wednesday passed the bill to launch the state’s adult-use marijuana market, putting the legislation on the brink of heading to Gov. Paul LePage’s desk with veto-proof margins from both chambers of the Legislature. The bill passed by a 24-10 margin one day after being approved 112-34 in the House, which killed a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine House passes bill that would launch recreational marijuana market
The latest bid to launch Maine’s adult-use marijuana market cleared its toughest political hurdle Tuesday with a veto-proof margin that bodes well for the compromise bill. If the bill continues on its current path, Mainers can expect to see the first recreational business licenses issued in the spring of 2019. It allows recreational retailers to […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Poland voters approve budget, impose marijuana moratorium
POLAND — Voters endorsed a $6.63 million municipal budget and imposed a moratorium on the retail sale of recreational marijuana during the town’s annual meeting Saturday. The session drew 124 voters — a tiny fraction of the thousands eligible to participate — and lasted a couple of hours at the Poland Regional High School auditorium. […]
Posted inBusiness
Legal marijuana industry struggles to create a buzz through advertising
As the cannabis industry grows, generating an estimated $10 billion in annual sales, states are increasingly approving medical marijuana programs and passing adult-use laws. But for marketing agencies, marijuana dispensaries and cannabis brands, advertising the pot brings its own hurdles. Online platforms with prime advertising space like Facebook and Google do not allow drug, or […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
First pot-business licenses would go to Maine residents of at least 4 years
Maine lawmakers want to offer the first recreational marijuana business licenses to residents who have lived here for at least four years. A legislative committee voted Tuesday to boost the minimum residency requirement to get a state license to grow, manufacture or sell recreational marijuana from three to four years during its final review of […]