FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Contact: Kristen Schulze Muszynski
Office: 626-8404/ Cell: 441-7638

Citizens? initiative to regulate and tax marijuana does not qualify for ballot

AUGUSTA ? The citizens? initiative petition effort to legalize and tax marijuana does not have enough valid signatures of Maine voters to qualify for the 2016 ballot, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap confirmed today.

The petitions for ?An Act To Legalize Marijuana,? which was combined with a similar citizens? initiative effort to legalize marijuana, had been in circulation since April 28, 2015. On Feb. 1, 2016, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions received 20,671 petitions with 99,229 total signatures of those who support the initiative. The decision can be viewed here.

Staff members at the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions have completed the process of certifying all of the petitions and have found a maximum of 51,543 valid signatures (subject to checking for duplicates), while 47,686 are not valid. A minimum of 61,123 valid signatures from registered Maine voters is required in the citizens? initiative process and the effort has failed to meet that threshold.

According to the proposed bill summary, this legislation proposed to legalize the possession, purchase, growth and sale of marijuana to those who are at least 21 years of age, and tax its sale, among other provisions. Visit http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/citizens/index.html to view the proposed legislation in its entirety.