Pro-marijuana group slams plan to impose pot law moratorium
Courtesy / Flickr, MarihuanayMedicina
Municipalities across Maine are weighing the impact of marijuana legalization, with some choosing to implement moratoriums and others, like Falmouth, holding public workshops.
Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, and House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, agreed Wednesday to back an emergency moratorium bill on legalizing marijuana, setting the stage for a battle between pro-marijuana forces and those who believe the state needs more time to craft rules and regulations related to the new market.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the bill sponsored by Rep. Louis Luchini, D-Ellsworth, LD 88, would allow adults to possess marijuana after the law takes effect on Jan. 30, but would delay most other provisions of the law until Feb. 1, 2018.
Thibodeau and Gideon also agreed to create a 17-member joint select committee to consider 50 or more marijuana-related bills instead of having them reviewed by various committees, the newspaper reported.
Thibodeau appeared on WVOM-FM radio this morning to explain the effort to extend to one year the nine-month moratorium already in place with Q1’s passage regarding retail marijuana sales and establishments.
“I think it’s going to be very helpful as we try to put public policy around what was passed on the November ballot,” Thibodeau said in an interview this morning on WVOM-FM. “As part of that bill we are also going to be able to put some limitations on edibles coming into our state. It may shock many listeners: these people produced ‘gummy bears’ that have marijuana in them. The days of just brownies are over. Gummy bear, candies of all types, we want to make sure those items don’t fall into the hands of children.”
David Boyer, Yes on 1 campaign manager and the Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, criticized lawmakers for attempting to block the will of Maine voters who approved legalization in the November election.
“Question 1 has nine months built-in to give regulators the time they need to craft responsible rules for legal marijuana sales,” he said in a written statement. “These politicians are clearly thumbing their nose at voters by proposing Maine delay this process before it has even started.”
Leaders of the Yes on 1 campaign scheduled a news conference for 9:45 a.m. today at the State House to outline their opposition to the emergency moratorium bill.
Boyer, however, told BDN he endorsed the idea of having one committee, instead of multiple committees, review the various marijuana bills that have been submitted to the 128th Legislature.
The Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs has scheduled a public hearing on Luchini’s bill for Jan. 17, at 1 p.m., in Room 437 at the State House.
Photo: MarihuanayMedicina/Flickr
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