Governor Paul LePage of Maine, vetoed a marijuana bill this week that would regulate and tax the sale of recreational marijuana.
According to LePage, he vetoed the bill because the federal government prohibits cannabis.
He said, “Until I clearly understand how the federal government intends to treat states that seek to legalize marijuana, I cannot in good conscience support any scheme in state law to implement expansion of legal marijuana in Maine.”
“We need assurances that a change in policy or administration at the federal level will not nullify those investments,” he continued.
Lawmakers will meet next week to potentially override his veto.
According to Erik Altieri, a spokesman for the pro-legalization organization NORML, the governor’s vetoe “is just the latest in a line of anti-democratic attacks coming from his office and his stonewalling will only ensure the prolonged existence of a criminal black market in Maine and deny the state coffers of needed tax revenue.”
“Maine should be looking at ways to expeditiously implement a robust legalization program that represents what state voters approved at the ballot box,” exclaimed Altieri.
