Maine Governor Paul LePage (R). LePage said after the election that he intends to ask President-elect Donald Trump to enforce federal marijuana laws in Maine to prevent the state from legalizing marijuana.
Maine’s Republican Governor Paul LePage has never been a fan of marijuana reform, and on Thursday he suggested that the state’s medical marijuana program should be eliminated now that voters have approved legalizing recreational marijuana.
Speaking on the Portland’s WGAN on Thursday, LePage called for the end of the state’s medical marijuana program once recreational ma.
In November, Maine voters approved Question 1, legalizing recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 or older, by a slim margin of just over 4,000 votes. Implementation of the referendum is currently on hold, however, as a recount on the vote is ongoing.
“I think we gotta [sic] get rid of medical marijuana. If you’ve got recreational marijuana, it’s over the counter. Why do we need medical marijuana?” the Governor asked, despite having just called on the state legislature to overturn the will of the voters and put the “kibosh” on the legalization. “You don’t need a prescription to buy Bayer aspirin, so why do you need a prescription to buy recreational marijuana or medical marijuana?”
Outgoing State Representative Diane Russel (D-Portland) has been one of the Maine’s leading marijuana advocates in her eight years as a state representative. As a legislator, she supported medical marijuana, filed legalization bills, and was one of the leading proponents for the Yes on 1 campaign this year.
“As the long-time leader of the movement to end marijuana prohibition, in Maine, I stand in strong support of continuing the medical marijuana program once adult use is legal,” Russel said in response to LePage’s statement. “It is critical that key medical strains continue to be cultivated by people who understand the botany science and sold by people who understand how each strain affects individual patients. If there is anything we should be eliminating from the medical marijuana program, it is the onerous medical tax on patients.”
Maine voters first authorized medical marijuana in 1999. Ten years later, Maine voters approved a measure to expand the state’s medical marijuana program to allow dispensaries.
The full interview with Gov. LePage can be found here. Discussion on marijuana begins at the 9:20 mark.
Tags: Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Maine, Diane Russel, Election 2016, Legalize Maine, Maine, Maine marijuana, Maine marijuana legalization, Marijuana Legalization Act, Marijuana Policy Project, Paul LePage, tax and regulate, Yes on 1