AUGUSTA — After slugging it out for years, advocates on both sides of the cannabis issue have come together to craft a rescue plan for Maine’s adult-use legalization bill.
The group that wrote the successful marijuana referendum question, Legalize Maine, has joined with Maine’s top anti-legalization groups, the Christian Civic League and the state arm of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, to draft a proposal that would, among other things, give medical marijuana providers a first crack at adult-use cultivation and sales under a rolling licensing system, followed by Maine residents, in a market that would launch in July.
The proposal was introduced by Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, who voted against a legalization bill passed by the legislature last year that died by gubernatorial veto in November. He unveiled the unlikely coalition, and the wide-ranging amendment, at a legislative hearing on the latest version of the legalization bill on Tuesday, saying the compromises hammered out by these one-time rivals could secure the votes needed to pass the bill this session.
Top image courtesy of legislature.maine.gov
