Maine: New England’s Marijuana-Friendly State

I am a child of the great northern vacation land state, born and raised. This article and subsequent threads are all on the right path of thought, but I feel it is necessary to clarify a couple of points made by the original author and those that followed. Yes, there have been decrimalization legistlation in the books for The Pine Tree State, and yes these laws have been mostly unnoticed for many years, but I know from first hand experience that law enforcement in the state is hit or miss on enforcement issues. I have watched police release those they have busted in possession of less then 1.25 ounces with only merely a confiscation of the substance and warning that others are not so leinient. I have also seen the reverse of this, but have NEVER in my several drug bust witnesses seen any other states law enforcement release those they have caught in such a fashion.

With this said I must also add that this seems to be on the increase there, more and more of my friends are reporting similar experiences, however this is no way an endorsement to move your familiy from the Bible-Belt to the frigid north just to feel safer about your smoking. Police have children and families too and will react negatively to those they deem are causing undue risk to children in ANY way. Be smart, be cautious and above all, don't go waving the "Weed Flag" as you walk down the sidewalk in the Oldport of bustling Portland, or walking the Green at the USM campus. The states populace was hit just as hard with the "Propoganda War On Drugs" just as hard as any other state, and those of us who have survived those icy winters are hard to dissuade from doing what we think is right regardless of those whom oppose our views. Mainers are rough and hardy, kind and caring, but stalwart and almost stubborn to a fault...and like all Americans we have as many different views on todays political and social issues as anyone else. So just because some of the police there have realized the flaws in the way this substance is prosocuted doesn't mean that Stephen King's lovely neighbors in Bangor won't call in a complaint if they see it.

Onto to Boboberg's comments, yes all that you said was true, in the most part...but these recent legislations are still in there formative stages and those Nations are still working towards there end goals, which is a new revenue stream for thier own struggling economies. What this really means to us here for the time being is that more and more other nations in the western hemisphere are partially or in full decriminalizing marijuana the "War On Drugs" in our home front will have a vividly pronounced upswing with entreprenuers from Mexico facing less stiff law enforcement for small traffickers (the weekend warriors, not the cartels) and a new and more creative minds getting into the smuggling game...we will have an increase of Mexican schwag crossing our borders.

Yes we have gotten far more then an inch towards stopping drugs, at least the real ones...the propoganda works, just as psychological warfare has always worked throughout history in whatever its form. Young people are becoming more educated on the topics of drugs and substance abuse then ever before and it is showing in declines in use of certain heavier drugs in the youth market...the studies haven't shown this swing yet...but I would have to say that I have! My interaction with teens recently has lead me to believe this point whole heartedly, they talk about these things in a far more educated manner then I can recall from my classmates at that age, and seem to have a firm grasp on the dangers of drugs.

We have jailed millions of americans over marijuana charges over the decades of prohibition, but only a very small percentage of those jailed have been jailed for decades, I would like to see more of us use more accurate figures in these types of posts when we post figures and numbers. Education and accurate sharing of said education is the only thing we can use to our advantage in a struggle to reform these laws. Throw an erroneous figure into your activism and your may well get labeled as a zealot for the cause willing to lie to reach some end.

To bong_jamesbong, as far as my research can find the populace of those jailed in Maine for marijuana offenses is actually a few percentge points lower then most other states, however the sentences and severity of these individuals seems to slightly higher then the national average. Which to me would also help illustrate my points at the beginning, in general there seems to be more willingness to overlook the smaller offenses either by the officers in the field or the courts themselve.

Also, as far as charging prohibitionist on human rights violations for following the beliefs instilled into them by thier parents, churches, schools and the propganda machine is like charging a kid for public intoxication because thier alchoholic parents put whisky in the bottle. Those who need to be charged are those who push prohibition for PERSONAL gain and greed.

And lastly to anon, the first step in any major societal change is always a small one. Getting at least a precursory law into place, even it will need amendment at some point is a good thing. It is honestly a pipe dream to think we can cure any problem on the first pass. Outside of that I agree with everthing you had to say.

I am also willing to do this in my posts, the_wanderer_ks@yahoo.com is my email, and I look forward to hearing from anyone, possitive or negative in reference to this post. Knowledge, goodwill, and hospitable behavior should be shared openly and freely.