HOULTON, Maine — A small group of about 30 residents came out to the Houlton Elks Lodge Thursday evening to listen to a presentation from Hillary Lister, spokesperson for the group Maine Matters and advocate to encourage people to vote “no” on Question 1.
Question 1 is a referendum question on the November ballot that asks Mainers if they wish to legalize marijuana in the state. The question reads, “Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law by persons who are at least 21 years of age, and allow the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?”
Lister said her group is opposed to the referendum, not because they are against marijuana for both medical and recreational use, but because the wording of the proposed bill would take away rights of those who are currently growing the plant for medical reasons in favor of establishing a few, very large producers throughout the state.
The bill would also create additional legislation on the tracking of plants being grown in the state and create strict enforcement laws that would require blood testing for drivers to determine if they were operating under the influence.
“We are trying to spread the word about the details of Question 1 that aren’t getting out there,” Lister said. “This question is much more than simply a question of legalizing marijuana.”
On Friday, Governor Paul LePage weighed in on the ballot question, encouraging Mainers to vote “no.”
“Question 1 is not just bad for Maine, it can be deadly,” LePage said in a press release. “Marijuana kills people on the highways. Traffic deaths in Colorado have increased dramatically. Marijuana is three times stronger than it was in the 1980s. People addicted to marijuana are three times more likely to be addicted to heroin. Heroin is already killing five Mainers a week. We don’t need to legalize another drug that could lead to more deaths.
He added THC levels in marijuana snacks are so high, they could kill children and pets. “Pot snacks look like cookies, candy, gummy bears and soda,” he said. “Children can’t tell if there is weed in these snacks. People will smoke marijuana in pot stores right next to schools, daycare centers and churches. They will smoke weed and sell pot at state fairs. Businesses could not fire employees for using marijuana.”
According to Lister, question 1 would authorize lawmakers to implement legislation to expand the scale of production and distribution of marijuana for recreational use, modeled on language from Marijuana Policy Project and New Approach Political Action Committee, which backed bills in Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and Alaska.
“The major push for this legislation is from investors who are seeking access to what is estimated as a $20 billion East Coast market for recreational marijuana,” she said. “Backers are hoping that if more states pass this model of regulation, there will be more support for federal legislation backed by MPP and New Approach PAC. This legislation, sponsored by Representative Blumenauer of Oregon, would allow licensing for interstate sale through the ATF for license holders in states that have adopted this particular model of taxing, regulating and policing marijuana for recreational use. “
Proponents of Question 1 claim that taxing, regulating, and policing cannabis like Washington and Colorado will result in an influx of revenue for the state. Lister said those supporters fail to mention the cost of taxing, regulating, and policing a “massively expanded industry of large-scale operations” which would be created with the hopes of generating interstate commerce.
“Coming to smaller communities like Houlton is extremely important for us,” Lister said. “These are the communities that are going to be the most directly affected by this vote.”
