Maine legislation filed by Senator Joseph Baldacci would “remove all marijuana-related provisions from the Maine criminal code and expunge all convictions involving marijuana”.
Senate Bill 1789 was filed last month and quickly assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. The measure has now been reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and assigned to the Senate Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
SB 1789 would give Maine the most progressive marijuana law in the country and potentially world by removing all possession limits for possessing, purchasing, growing and selling marijuana. Currently those 21 and older are allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants.
The bill also “directs the Department of Public Safety to review all criminal records possessed by any state criminal justice or law enforcement agency and to expunge all records that relate to criminal convictions and civil violations for conduct involving marijuana or that are otherwise authorized under Maine’s adult use cannabis laws.”
In Maine voters legalized marijuana through the initiative process in 2016. The first marijuana store, however, didn’t open until 2020. According to data released by the state there was over one million legal marijuana transactions in April alone.
The full text of Senate Bill 1789 can be found by clicking here.