• Home
  • MJNews @PRNewswire
  • MJChannelOne
  • MJBA.net
  • MJHeadlineNews
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • MJBA PR

MJNews Network

"The Voice of Legal Cannabis Since 2013"

  • Home
  • Business
  • MJNews by PRNewswire
  • Legal
  • Events
  • BlPOC in Cannabis
  • MJBAPR
  • MJAdnet
You are here: Home / Legal / High Hopes For Legalizing Marijuana In Maine

High Hopes For Legalizing Marijuana In Maine

October 14, 2013 by mjbusinessweek 2 Comments

MAINE: Melissa Thomas is a 38-year-old interior designer for a local paint company. She has a 5-year-old son, and she is engaged to be married.

She shows up to work on time, and belongs to a book club and mothers groups. She pays her bills and is closing on the purchase of a house in South Portland next month.

And like an increasing number of Americans, she likes to smoke marijuana – not for its medical benefits but because she enjoys it.

“Alcohol makes me sleepy,” said Thomas, a well-dressed, well-spoken woman with long curly hair and an engaging smile. “Marijuana does the opposite – it tends to kick-start me, especially creatively.”

mainetoker2

Thomas believes she uses marijuana responsibly, limiting her use to the occasional weeknight or weekend. She says she doesn’t drive after smoking and never uses marijuana around her son or before going to work. She firmly believes that children and teenagers, whose brains are still developing, should never use the drug.

But, she says, marijuana use by a responsible adult should be legal. And she is far from alone. After decades of shifting attitudes, more Americans now support legalizing marijuana than oppose it, according to national surveys.

On Nov. 5, Portland voters will try to make it so, at least within city limits. Voters are widely expected to pass a citizen-led referendum and enact an ordinance to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21.

However, the proposal would not allow people to use marijuana in public or operate a vehicle after smoking. Landlords could prohibit its use on their property. And there would still be no legal way for people to obtain marijuana – selling it will still be banned.

And, no matter what Portland voters say next month, marijuana use will still be illegal under federal law, which classifies pot as being in the same group as heroin.

Thomas said she decided to step forward publicly about her marijuana use – essentially admitting to illegal activity – to combat the fear and misconception about marijuana. She said her habit is known and accepted by her employer and her more conservative friends.

Even so, speaking publicly about her marijuana use carries some social risks.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be labeled for the vices they have,” Thomas said, adding that for some the vice might be gambling or drinking or sex. “That’s the most difficult thing about coming out.”

She is also stepping forward because of her son. “I don’t want my son growing up and thinking I’m a criminal,” she said.

CHANGES IN ATTITUDES

The Portland vote comes as attitudes toward legalizing marijuana are rapidly changing nationwide, according to a national survey released by the Pew Research Center in April. More than half – 52 percent – of 1,501 American adults surveyed now support legalizing marijuana. That’s up from just 12 percent in 1969, when marijuana use was associated with hippies and bohemians.

Pew found that support for legalizing marijuana has jumped 19 percentage points in the past decade, including 11 points in the last three years alone. And attitudes are shifting among all ages, political parties, races and genders.

The younger the adult, the stronger the support. For example, 65 percent of Millennials – people born since 1980 who are now between 18 and 32 – support the legalization of marijuana.

Read full article @ Portland Press Herald

Filed Under: Legal, Recreational Tagged With: decriminalization, legalization, Maine

About mjbusinessweek

Trackbacks

  1. MJ News Network | Despite Successes In Colorado And Washington, Marijuana Advocates Still See Cities As Their Best Bet says:
    October 17, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    […] of Portland, Maine, will vote next month on a ballot measure to legalize marijuana possession. If the measure […]

    Reply
  2. MJ News Network | Pot Legalization Effort Moves Eastward To Maine says:
    October 19, 2013 at 4:56 PM

    […] 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 […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Connect with Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Top Stories

Ohio Board of Pharmacy Publishes Updated Patient & Caregiver Numbers for June 2022

OHIO:  The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy published updated patient & caregiver numbers for June 2022.  These numbers include: 526,255 Recommendations 285,621 Registered patients 18,058 Patients with Veteran Status 19,536 Patients with Indigent Status 1,122 Patients with a Terminal Diagnosis 148,950 Patients with both an active registration and an active recommendation 265,520 Unique patients Read the full article…

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency Recognizes 21 Qualifiers in New Social Equity All-Star Program

MICHIGAN: The Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) announced this week the first approved gold qualifier through the Social Equity All-Star Program, a new initiative to encourage cannabis industry licensees to be proactive in their diversity, equity, and inclusion campaigns. In addition to the first gold qualifier, the agency also announced the first 20 bronze qualifiers in Read the full article…

OLCC Commissioners Plan to Tighten “Change of Ownership” Option

Bad actors won’t get easy off-ramp to sell their businesses OREGON:  The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) has grown tired of “bad actors” gaming the system when they’re caught breaking the law or violating OLCC rules, so Commissioners plan to crack down on that group of licensees by limiting their ability to monetize their Read the full article…

Mammoth Labs Cannabis Golf Tournament is August 6th, 2022 in Roslyn, WA

MAMMOTH LABS CANNABIS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP August 06, 2022 Suncadia Resort – Roslyn, Wa STREAMING MJNEWS POWERED BY PR NEWSWIRE

OLCC Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production

  Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production Cannabinoid Subcommittee Meeting Notice AGENDA 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM Tuesday, August 2, 2022 Location: Virtual – Microsoft Teams meeting Click here to join the meeting on Teams Or call in (audio only) 323-553-3576; Passcode: 282 099 157#   TURN ON. TUNE IN. CATCH THE Read the full article…

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency Recognizes 21 Qualifiers in New Social Equity All-Star Program

OLCC Commissioners Plan to Tighten “Change of Ownership” Option

Mammoth Labs Cannabis Golf Tournament is August 6th, 2022 in Roslyn, WA

Tags

CA California Canada cannabis cannabis news CBD changing attitudes CO Colorado DC decriminalization dispensary District of Columbia end failed war on drugs end of failed war on drugs failed war on drugs Hemp I-502 legal cannabis legalization legal marijuana legal pot shop marijuana marijuana business medical cannabis medical marijuana mjlegal mjnews MJNews Network mjnewsnetwork.com mmj New York NORML NY OH Ohio OR Oregon politicians on pot recreational marijuana the business of cannabis the business of marijuana WA Washington WSLCB

Search By State:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

© Copyright 2014 MJBA Publishing · MJ News Network · All Rights Reserved ·