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Maine GOP Lawmaker Gears Up To Fight Anti-Marijuana Ballot Initiative

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4 weeks ago

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“It’s never great politically if your opponent is on TV and you don’t have the money to respond.”

By: Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star

As voters left the Woodfords Club polling station in Portland on June 9, Alex Perez and Hairo Roque, both of Connecticut, asked them to sign one. Mainers petition to roll back recreational use of legalized cannabis a decade ago Similar scenes played out in Poland and other municipalities across the country on election day.

That effort to repeal recreational cannabis was muted after the campaign missed the winter deadline to submit signatures to get it on the November ballot. Now with about 40,000 of the 67,682 signatures needed (at least 10 percent of all votes cast in the last gubernatorial election), the campaign is eyeing the November 2027 ballot, said Caroline Alcock of Massachusetts, the group’s general counsel.

The campaign appears to be driven almost exclusively by out-of-state interests, while local cannabis supporters are organizing in opposition.

“To make a bad poker reference, they’re ‘committed to pot,'” Rep. David Boyer, who led legalization efforts in 2016, said of the campaign’s sole donor, Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

Colin Mack of Brunswick, who is listed as a proponent of the initiative on the secretary of state’s website, told the Maine Morning Star after the election that he thought the effort was over. However, he said that he did not participate, apart from being a local person, to send it to Augusta.

The proposed ballot referendum would ban the commercial cultivation, sale, purchase and manufacture of cannabis starting in 2028, while allowing personal use and possession of up to 2.5 ounces. It would also create new testing and tracking requirements for medical cannabis, which the Maine Legislature rejected earlier this year.

The petition is valid until the spring of 2027, 18 months later, and Alcock said the campaign plans to continue collecting signatures through the summer.

Influence from outside the state

SAM Action, the political arm of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which funds the campaign, he contributed $2 million in December. As a non-profit, the group is not required to disclose its financial sources.

SAM Action did not respond to multiple requests for comment. (The local Maine affiliate disbanded shortly after the 2016 referendum and is not involved in the current petition, as far as Scott Gagnon knows.)

SAM Action is also the only donor behind a similar anti-cannabis campaign in Massachusetts.

They have been in both Maine and Massachusetts the accusations of some signature collectors that the initiatives are misrepresentedthe leader Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) to encourage voters to read the entire petition before signing

Alcock said the campaign’s talking points to collectors are not misleading.

“We think it’s more of an adversarial strategy,” Alcock said of the allegations. “We’re not telling anyone to be misleading to voters or to use anything other than approved and vetted talking points about it.”

Although state law and the Maine Constitution require petition circulators to be Maine residents and registered voters, those residency requirements are largely unenforceable because of federal court rulings.

In 2020, Bellows was sued by a group that argued that the demands protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment violated “fundamental political speech”.

A district court granted the group — which included We the People PAC, Maine House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, a nonprofit and professional signature gatherer — a preliminary injunction, and in 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the residency requirement was unconstitutional.

The state entered into a consent order with the group, which now follows all Maine citizen initiatives, to allow out-of-state circulators as long as they agree to submit to Maine’s jurisdiction for investigation or prosecution of any alleged violation of Maine law.

Building a defense

Since the re-emergence of an anti-cannabis petition on the ballot, Boyer has begun preparing for the defense.

As the petition began to spread this winter, Boyer opened a bank account and began having initial conversations with local and national groups to organize an opposition campaign.

“I’m going to dust myself off and register with the state and start collecting money,” Boyer said after seeing signature gatherers at the polls earlier this month.

His campaign is not about getting a competitive question on the ballot, but about raising money for “no vote” signs, mailings, TV ads and other ways to oppose the petition.

“We don’t have all the money they need,” Boyer said. “We don’t have to equate one and the other, but you know it’s never good politically if your opponent is on TV and you don’t have the money to respond.”

This story was first published by the Maine Morning Star.

user photo Brian Shamblen.

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Will the top World Cup expert in the fruit, vegetable, and horticulture sector come from Canada, the U.S. or Belgium?

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13 hours ago

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July 20, 2026

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FreshPublishers 2026 World Cup Group Stage






The World Cup is coming to an end, with the third-place play-off between France and England on Saturday, and the final between Spain and Argentina the following day. It won’t be long until the grand winner of FreshPublishers’ first World Cup pool is revealed.

© Fresh Publishers

As previously reported, Slim Kooli from Courchesne Laros is the favorite to win the €1,000 prize. He has secured a comfortable lead over Nol Batist of North American Interstate Greenhouse Company, while buyer Bjorn Van Ryckeghem of Deprez Construct is currently in third place.

1 Sim School Spain 1–0 2–1 737 9716
2 Nol Batist France 2–1 1–1 674 9433
3 Bjorn Van Ryckeghem France 2–2 3–1 674 9264
4 Christian Anton Smedshaug England 1–2 1–2 659 9134
5 Perry Springintveld Spain 1–1 2–1 647 9105
6 Willem Tijssen Spain 2–0 2–1 710 9098
7 Hans Borsboom Spain 2–1 2–1 528 9058
8 Bart Triemstra Spain 2–1 2–1 737 9052
9 Youness Bensaid Spain 2–1 1–1 722 8954
10 Vijay Dijkstra Portugal 2–0 2–1 382 8953

However, there have been some surprises during the tournament, and bonus points must be added, so we will keep the suspense a little longer. On Monday we will find out who is the main World Cup announcer in the international fruit, vegetable and horticulture sector…



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States Move To Let First Responders Use Marijuana And Psychedelics To Treat PTSD

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13 hours ago

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July 20, 2026

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“When you’re in the fire service, or in any of the first response industries, or especially in the military, things are going to accumulate over time, and what happens is you see a lot of things, crazy things that at least seem normal.”

By Amanda Watford, Stateline

This year more states have looked beyond traditional counseling and medication to help first responders deal with traumatic stress.

Firefighters, police, and emergency medical personnel routinely experience fatal accidents, violent crimes, and other traumatic events that can leave lasting psychological scars.

“When you’re in the fire service, or the first response industry, or especially the military, things just pile up over time, and what happens is you see a lot of things, crazy things that at least seem normal,” said Jason Cerrano, a retired firefighter and paramedic with more than 20 years of experience in Missouri. Cerrano is now director of research and commercial development at IDEX Fire & Safety.

In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law last month a measure that will create the Post-Traumatic Injuries Commission to review requests from first responders to help cover treatment costs.

Maryland took a different approach this year, enacting a law protecting firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and other rescue workers. employment discrimination for the illegal use of medical marijuana outside of work.

The new law, which will take effect in October, applies to medical cannabis patients who test positive for cannabis metabolites but are impaired while working.

Several other states are exploring emerging therapies.

A new Connecticut law expands a pilot program at Yale University studying psilocybin-assisted therapy Allowing any state resident 18 years of age or older to participate, provided they meet clinical eligibility criteria established by the Yale University Institutional Review Board. Previously, the pilot program was limited to veterans, retired first responders and frontline healthcare workers.

Missouri lawmakers advanced a bill allowing veterans and first responders to receive the psychedelics psilocybin and ibogaine in approved research studies. Under medical supervision for PTSD and other mental health conditions. The legislative session adjourned in May before lawmakers sent a bill to the governor.

This story was first published by Stateline.

Image courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.

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Standard Wellness expands into Cleveland with dispensary acquisition

Published

2 days ago

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July 19, 2026

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Standard Wellness has entered into an agreement with License in the Flats, LLC to enter into definitive agreements to acquire a dispensary license in the Flats following the required regulatory review period. At the end of that period, the company and License in the Flats intend to execute those agreements and then continue to develop the dispensary into a retail location branded The Forest Cleveland.

Following regulatory approval of the change of ownership by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, the new dispensary will become the Company’s first retail location in the city of Cleveland, where the Company is headquartered.

Additionally, the Company announced the divestiture of The Forest Sandusky and The Forest Springfield, its Ohio dispensaries, to Greenlight, again subject to pending regulatory approvals.

“We are excited to expand our presence in the city of Cleveland and serve guests in our hometown,” said Kate Ols, Vice President of Retail for Standard Wellness. “As our business continues to grow, we are focused on building a retail network that will best position us to serve our communities for the long term. At the same time, we are proud of the role our Sandusky and Springfield dispensaries have played in Ohio’s cannabis history, and we are confident that those communities will continue to grow under Greenlight’s leadership.”

Standard Wellness and Greenlight are working closely together to support a smooth transition for staff and guests throughout the transfer process. As established operators in Ohio and Missouri, the companies share a commitment to strengthening the regulated cannabis industry and serving the communities in which they operate.

The new dispensary is expected to serve both local residents and visitors while completing the Company’s Northeast Ohio footprint.

Under Ohio law, a cannabis operator cannot hold more than eight dispensary licenses statewide. The acquisition of the Cleveland license and divestiture of The Forest Sandusky and The Forest Springfield allows Standard Wellness to continue to meet Ohio’s property limits while strategically repositioning its Ohio retail footprint and focusing investments in key markets.

Forest Sandusky and Forest Springfield have played significant roles in the evolution of Ohio’s cannabis industry. Sandusky was the site of the state’s first legal cannabis sale in January 2019, and Springfield became the first part of Ohio’s cannabis industry merger and acquisition transaction when Standard Wellness purchased Pure Ohio Wellness’ dispensary.

For more information:
Standard Wellness Holdings
standardwellness.com/

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