Gov. Paul LePage pressures Legislature to provide money to regulate marijuana
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Monday ordered the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations to take over rule-making authority for marijuana regulation and told bureaucrats not to spend any money on it.
LePage said in his order that “no employee or department of the Executive Branch may use funds for the purpose of implementing the Marijuana Legalization Act until an appropriation is made by the Legislature for that purpose.”
Lawmakers are looking into what regulations are necessary for the purchase and sale of marijuana in Maine, something that probably won’t happen until 2018 or later. Possession of recreational marijuana became legal Monday.
Sen. Roger Katz, R-Kennebec, chairman of the Special Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee, said that "even though it is now legal for possession of certain amounts of marijuana for those 21 and over, many questions remain — from emerging public safety issues, to licensing and oversight of commercial growers and retail outlets, to packaging and labeling, to keeping edibles and other products out of the hands of our kids. And the list doesn’t end there."
Read more: http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/0001/11/30/gov-paul-lepage-pressures-legislature-provide-money-regulate-marijuana/2069052