Maine House overturns governor's veto of marijuana bill

[aridbud]

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-w...se-overturns-governors-veto-of-marijuana-bill

Now we're talking! Kudos for them!

The Maine House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override Gov. Paul LePage's (R) veto of a measure to allow the commercial sale of marijuana in the state.

The House overrode the veto with a 109-39 vote, according to The Portland Press Herald. The bill now heads to the state Senate, where lawmakers must vote by a two-thirds margin to overturn LePage's veto. The newspaper previously reported that senators believe they have the support to overturn a veto.

The measure was crafted by a special legislative committee, and previously passed the House and Senate by wide margins.

LePage vetoed the measure, however, arguing that it would violate federal law. Nine states, including Maine, and the District of Columbia have moved to legalize recreational marijuana use, but the substance remains federally prohibited.

Although possession of recreational marijuana has been legal in Maine since 2016, there has been no process to legally sell it in the state.

LePage has also rejected the bill over concerns that legalizing an adult-use marijuana program would create a second set of regulations and taxes on the substance in addition to the state's existing medical marijuana program.

The proposed law would get rid of marijuana social clubs and curb people's ability to grow marijuana on their own. Retailers would be allowed to sell to customers as early as next year.

The House's override of the veto came as the state's legislature weighed about 20 vetos from the governor's office.

 

[KONY]

Yup. This sucks.

They took everyone right to grow 6 flowering plants and changed it to 3. This was actually a good veto on lepages part and all the people that voted to override it in the name of potential tax revenue should be publicly hung.

 

[aridbud]

Yup. This sucks.

They took everyone right to grow 6 flowering plants and changed it to 3. This was actually a good veto on lepages part and all the people that voted to override it in the name of potential tax revenue should be publicly hung.

I know in CO, people go over their plant limit. Imagine it happens elsewhere, too.

 

[OldCoolSativa]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-...se-overturns-governors-veto-of-marijuana-billThe proposed law would get rid of marijuana social clubs and curb people's ability to grow marijuana on their own.

Sounds like a shitty law.

 

[aridbud]

Well then, vote! Don't like ridding social clubs, other parts. People in Maine will continue to grow underground. Revenue is revenue, but no taxes if people grow underground.

 

[aridbud]

I thought the governor didn't want anything, and the House made a few concessions. Here's a blip from High Times.

"Republican Gov. Paul LePage had long-vowed to block any recreational bill that crossed his desk. But after only a brief debate prior to the voting, Maine lawmakers were able to override the governor to start adult-use marijuana sales.

Maine’s House and Senate Unite To Overcome Governor’s Veto
According to Maine’s constitution, a veto override requires a two-thirds majority vote in both legislative chambers. Wednesday’s votes to overturn the governor’s veto of an adult-use marijuana bill easily cleared that hurdle.

In the state House, legislatures voted 109 in favor to 39 against overturning LePage’s veto. In the Senate, the margin in favor was even higher, with 28 yeas and just 8 nays.

Indeed, the only reason Maine’s legislature was able to override the veto was that the bill had initially cleared the House with a veto-proof margin of 112-34.

The success of the votes represents a significant step toward implementing the legal recreational cannabis market voters approved back in 2016. Nevertheless, it remains an initial step. And Governor LePage still has moves he can make to delay the launch of a legal retail market for cannabis.

.....Residents who voted to legalize adult cannabis use and their representatives in office have already made that case.

But Wednesday’s override of the governor’s veto means that legal, regulated cannabis sales are an inevitability in Maine. Unfortunately, Gov. LePage still has a lot of control over the pace of the process. It could even take until Maine’s next governor takes office in 2019 to fully implement the law."

 

[armedoldhippy]

i realize this law is not perfect, but it is better than what was in place. NOTHING is perfect. but once it is legal, then you can start lobbying to have it IMPROVED. 3 flowering plants not enough? i'm assuming that is 3 at any time? fuck, if they are 3 or 4 weeks apart, you harvest every month or so. we would kill our mothers for that kind of deal down here...

 

[aridbud]

i realize this law is not perfect, but it is better than what was in place. NOTHING is perfect. but once it is legal, then you can start lobbying to have it IMPROVED. 3 flowering plants not enough? i'm assuming that is 3 at any time? fuck, if they are 3 or 4 weeks apart, you harvest every month or so. we would kill our mothers for that kind of deal down here...

Agree, which is why I posted even though other side of the country. I liked that the House of Representatives took action! The governor certainly wasn't going to do anything proactive.

I don't think ANY USA law is perfect. Wish we (as a country) could align to similar attitude/statute of the Netherlands. While not 'legal', it's tolerated.

And we ALL know, plant counts are fictional.

 

[KONY]

i realize this law is not perfect, but it is better than what was in place. NOTHING is perfect. but once it is legal, then you can start lobbying to have it IMPROVED. 3 flowering plants not enough? i'm assuming that is 3 at any time? fuck, if they are 3 or 4 weeks apart, you harvest every month or so. we would kill our mothers for that kind of deal down here...

How is this law better than what was in place? You realize this law removed social clubs, home delivery, internet sales, as well as changed the amount of flowering plants from 6 to 3?

The only good in this law was to start allowing retail storefront sales, however trading that for removing all that other stuff is shit and definitely not better than what was in place, unless ones primary goal is to buy weed from a store and not grow it yourself.

 

[Mr Blah]

How is this law better than what was in place? You realize this law removed social clubs, home delivery, internet sales, as well as changed the amount of flowering plants from 6 to 3?

The only good in this law was to start allowing retail storefront sales, however trading that for removing all that other stuff is shit and definitely not better than what was in place, unless ones primary goal is to buy weed from a store and not grow it yourself.

I feel ya Kony....sad days

 

[Zeez]

It will get better once the novelty wears off. There are decades of disinformation to overcome. I think Massachusetts law will be the standard. Six plants per person and twelve per household.

 

[aridbud]

Yeah, as State measures continue pass, more uniformity will be seen. Or that is the hope!

 

[VacationLand]

Sure the recreational amendments suck, but -

While working on recreational, they're amending the medical side of things as well...2 things stood out:

Patients growing

• removing the 2.5oz cap and replacing it with 8lbs.

Caregiver

• removed max of 5 patients per caregiver

§2423-A.

As for caregivers harvests - the old verbiage was 2.5oz per patient, now reads all harvested produced from the legal numbers which are:

• 30 flowering
• 60 Veg
• Unlimited seedlings

By the law, should a person be a caregiver with a patient, 30 flowering, 60 veg and unlimited seedlings. The math is staggering for a perpetual grow with 15 in/out every 4 weeks?

That patient better be Cheech.

 

[KONY]

Sure the recreational amendments suck, but -

While working on recreational, they're amending the medical side of things as well...2 things stood out:

Patients growing

• removing the 2.5oz cap and replacing it with 8lbs.

Caregiver

• removed max of 5 patients per caregiver

§2423-A.

As for caregivers harvests - the old verbiage was 2.5oz per patient, now reads all harvested produced from the legal numbers which are:

• 30 flowering
• 60 Veg
• Unlimited seedlings

By the law, should a person be a caregiver with a patient, 30 flowering, 60 veg and unlimited seedlings. The math is staggering for a perpetual grow with 15 in/out every 4 weeks?

That patient better be Cheech.

Got a link with that info?

As far as I know the 2.5 oz per patient has been defined for a minute now. The 8lbs is for stuff that is still in process.

And with rec as it was originally passed, one could possess an unlimited amount from their rec harvest. There was no limit.

I want the ability to have doctors recommend more than 6 flowering plants per patient if rec has been snubbed like this.

 

[purplepassion]

Maine’s Going back to Overgrow, this law was a slap in the face. They took out revenue sharing with municipalities and replaced it with revenue giving to law enforcement. Put about 30% tax on it if you include excise taxes. You won’t see retail passed York county with this law.

 

[Bumbatar]

Anyone else notice the silly situation in New Hampshire? Surrounded on all 4 sides by legal cannabis, The population is mostly libertarian type conservatives who support legalization. Its like the last stand at the Alamo for the dumb ass politicians holding out there. Very noble and morally superior but absolutely hopeless.

 

[Growcephus]

all the people that voted to override it in the name of potential tax revenue should be publicly hung.

Do you really think politicians give a fuck about anything other than finding the next group of people willing to line their pockets?

Nope.

 

[VacationLand]

Got a link with that info?

As far as I know the 2.5 oz per patient has been defined for a minute now. The 8lbs is for stuff that is still in process.

And with rec as it was originally passed, one could possess an unlimited amount from their rec harvest. There was no limit.

I want the ability to have doctors recommend more than 6 flowering plants per patient if rec has been snubbed like this.

It's in the post hyperlinked

 

[Muleskinner]

Congratulations Maine, you just became the first legalization state in the US to have the state goverment rescind your civil right to grow cannabis on your own property! Absolutely treason against American democracy and liberty by the criminal political class.

This law isn't better than what we had before! The referendum was the law of the land for the last 18 months - the state government was breaking the law by refusing to begin issuing licenses, that's why stores weren't opening.

There is no freedom or representative government left. We gave them a direct order by a majority of the voting pulblic, just like Massachusetts they told us to fuck off. They doubled the tax rate after we gave them a direct order to set it at 10%! Consent of the governed? We live under tyranny.

Shame on MPP for not suing the shit out of the Maine government when they violated the law by refusing to implement.

 

[purplepassion]

Mpp are lobbyists so they don’t give a fuck