AUGUSTA, Maine — A crucial committee recommendation on the legalization of recreational marijuana could come as early as Thursday after a committee directive that the sponsors of two bills with similar goals work together.
Reps. Mark Dion and Diane Russell, both Democrats from Portland, said Wednesday afternoon that they and others were working toward combining the best elements of their bills, LD 1401 and LD 1380, respectively, into a single piece of legislation.
“This is exactly what I’d hoped for from the beginning,” said Dion, who along with Russell argues that marijuana legalization in Maine is only a matter of time, but that the Legislature should act before it’s done by citizen referendum.
The combination of Russell’s and Dion’s bills is likely to include a broad array of elements to tax and regulate the sale, distribution and possession of marijuana for people age 21 or older.
Russell said the combined bill is scheduled to come back to the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee on Thursday. Both she and Dion doubted that a majority of the committee would support the concept but hoped for a positive outcome in the full Legislature.
“If it fails in the committee and the Legislature follows suit, the question doesn’t go away. That’s the reality,” said Dion. “We want to send a complete package to the voters.”
While the Legislature grapples with the issue, two outside groups are gathering signatures in efforts to force the legalization question onto the November 2016 statewide ballot.
