Pubdate: Sun, 20 Oct 2013
Source: Times-Tribune, The (Scranton PA)
Copyright: 2013 Townnews.com
Contact:  http://www.thetimes-tribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4440
Author: Clarke Canfield, Associated Press
Page: B2

MARIJUANA EFFORTS MOVE EAST TO MAINE

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Advocates of recreational marijuana use are
looking to an upcoming vote in Maine as an indicator of whether the
East Coast is ready to follow in the footsteps of Colorado and
Washington by legalizing cannabis.

Voters in Portland are being asked whether they want to make it legal
for adults 21 and over to possess - but not purchase or sell - up to
2.5 ounces of pot. The Nov. 5 vote is being eyed nationally as
momentum grows in favor of legalizing marijuana use.

The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.based group that
supports legalization, says it targeted Portland because it's Maine's
largest city and because, unlike many other states and cities, it has
an initiative process to get the referendum on the ballot. Organizers
hope passage of the Portland initiative could spur similar results in
other liberal Northeast cities.

"I think there's national implications, keeping the momentum that
Washington and Colorado started last November in ending marijuana
prohibition," said David Boyer, the organization's political director
in Maine. "This is just the next domino."

There's no organized opposition to the referendum, but law enforcement
and substance abuse groups are speaking out against it.

In reality, the vote in Portland won't change anything because people
aren't being targeted by police for possession, said Kevin Sabet,
director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a national alliance that
opposes legalization and imprisoning people for marijuana possession.

Legalizing pot sends a message to youths that using marijuana is no
big deal, when really it carries health risks including an increased
heart rate, respiratory problems and memory problems, Mr. Sabet said.
The Portland referendum is simply a first step toward establishing a
marijuana industry, he said.

If the ballot measure passes, it will be largely symbolic, because it
won't override state and federal laws. Pot possession is a low
priority for Portland police, but they'll continue enforcing state
law, Police Chief Michael Sauschuk said. Besides, possessing 2.5
ounces or less of marijuana is already a civil offense under state
law, where violators are issued a ticket and fined, he said.

A majority of Americans now think marijuana possession should be
legal, according to a Pew Research Center poll in March. In the
national survey, 52 percent of respondents said marijuana should be
legal, while 45 percent said it should not.
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