Suzanimal
03-05-2015, 05:38 PM
Bill to ban local votes on legalizing marijuana draws fire at hearing
AUGUSTA — A bill to prohibit local referendums on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana runs afoul of both the U.S. Constitution and Maine’s tradition of municipal home rule, opponents of the measure said Monday.
Since the fall of 2013, voters in Portland and South Portland have approved local ballot questions legalizing recreational marijuana, while similar efforts have failed in two other communities. Those votes coincided with a growing national debate – and successful legalization drives in other states – about whether pot should be regulated more like alcohol instead of as an illegal drug.
Now, as momentum builds for statewide legalization referendum campaigns in 2016, an independent lawmaker from Newfield is trying to slam the brakes on future ballot questions on the pot issue in cities and towns.
Rep. James Campbell’s bill, L.D. 167, says that “a petition or order that seeks to legalize the recreational use of marijuana within a municipality may not be approved for inclusion on the ballot or considered at any town meeting.”
“Recreational marijuana is illegal on the federal level and municipalities should not be allowed to ignore federal law and attempt to legalize recreational marijuana anyway,” said Campbell, who submitted written testimony but was unable to attend Monday’s hearing on the bill before the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee.
Maine law allows municipalities to regulate the sale of alcohol through local elections. Several dozen towns impose some restrictions – such as prohibiting Sunday sales – on liquor or beer. Campbell’s bill would take away a level of local control, say its critics.
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http://www.pressherald.com/2015/03/02/bill-to-ban-local-votes-on-marijuana-draws-fire-at-hearing/
AUGUSTA — A bill to prohibit local referendums on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana runs afoul of both the U.S. Constitution and Maine’s tradition of municipal home rule, opponents of the measure said Monday.
Since the fall of 2013, voters in Portland and South Portland have approved local ballot questions legalizing recreational marijuana, while similar efforts have failed in two other communities. Those votes coincided with a growing national debate – and successful legalization drives in other states – about whether pot should be regulated more like alcohol instead of as an illegal drug.
Now, as momentum builds for statewide legalization referendum campaigns in 2016, an independent lawmaker from Newfield is trying to slam the brakes on future ballot questions on the pot issue in cities and towns.
Rep. James Campbell’s bill, L.D. 167, says that “a petition or order that seeks to legalize the recreational use of marijuana within a municipality may not be approved for inclusion on the ballot or considered at any town meeting.”
“Recreational marijuana is illegal on the federal level and municipalities should not be allowed to ignore federal law and attempt to legalize recreational marijuana anyway,” said Campbell, who submitted written testimony but was unable to attend Monday’s hearing on the bill before the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee.
Maine law allows municipalities to regulate the sale of alcohol through local elections. Several dozen towns impose some restrictions – such as prohibiting Sunday sales – on liquor or beer. Campbell’s bill would take away a level of local control, say its critics.
...
http://www.pressherald.com/2015/03/02/bill-to-ban-local-votes-on-marijuana-draws-fire-at-hearing/