Well, Maine is legal now… but I’m not so sure I like the direction this is heading for big business, or the new laws that will govern the MMP (Medical Marijuana Program), or … if I’ll be able to continue growing even 
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Were legal here in Massachusetts too on 12/15/16, this has been a great evening! good luck @Aquaponic_Dumme I hope you can keep growing
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California will be fully smokable also prop.64 passed in a big way
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I hear ya paranorman, I wish it was here. I would like to go to the Boston Commons and fire a big one up. Then I would hit Filenes basement a store that used to be on the Bostom Commons grounds. Mike. P.S. It has been 25 yrs. since I have been there. Mike
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Oh man I remember filene’s LOL (I’m old) 
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You have to be old to remember them! Very cool! Mike
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Maine’s new recreational marijuana law may take effect by the end of January, depending on how soon the secretary of state certifies the results.
Now that opponents have conceded and ended a recount, it is likely the certified results will be sent to Gov. Paul LePage this week. The governor will then have 10 days to issue a proclamation, which starts the clock ticking on the 30 days before the new law takes effect.
Although the governor opposed legalization, he is expected to sign off on the vote results just as he has for other referendum initiatives that passed despite his opposition. However, it remains to be seen whether LePage or President-elect Donald Trump will take legal steps to block or roll back laws in Maine and seven other states legalizing a drug that is still prohibited under federal law.
If there are no unforeseen delays in the processing of Maine’s elections results, adults 21 and older will be allowed to grow, possess and use marijuana by the end of January or the beginning of February. For those who do not grow their own, legal access to the drug for recreational use will be limited for a while longer.
The law opens the door to cannabis stores that will grow and sell the drug, but it will take close to a year for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to develop and implement rules and regulations for the program. Licenses for marijuana stores and social clubs are not likely to be issued before early 2018.
Maine voters approved the legalization measure last month by a margin of just over 4,000 votes, prompting a recount request from opponents. The opponents dropped the recount Saturday after a review of 30 percent of ballots showed no major shift in the results.
Lawyers for both campaigns will meet with election officials Tuesday in Augusta to go over ballots that were disputed during the recount. After those ballots are settled, the Secretary of State’s Office will certify the results and send them to the governor, said Kristen Muszynski, spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s Office.
Before the Nov. 8 election, LePage said he opposed legalization and would consider going to court to intervene if it was passed by voters. He later said he’d seek guidance from the Trump administration about how it will handle states with legal marijuana because of the drug’s illegal status under federal law. The president-elect has said he would leave the matter to states, but he also has named an attorney general – U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions – who has been an outspoken critic of marijuana legalization.
Last week, LePage said he believes the state could do away with its medical marijuana program and laws once recreational marijuana is allowed. Supporters of both legal recreational marijuana and medical marijuana say they are not sure LePage is serious, in part because recreational marijuana would be legal only for adults 21 and older. Medical marijuana is used by pediatric patients, including children with severe seizure disorders who do not respond to pharmaceuticals.
LePage’s office did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The Trump transition team has not responded to questions about the incoming administration’s position on legalization.
David Boyer, campaign manager for Yes on 1, said there appears to be a shift in LePage’s attitude toward the legalization measure.
“I think he’s envisioning marijuana being legal in Maine with some of the changes he’s talking about,” Boyer said in reference to LePage’s comments about the medical program. “That’s very different than being opposed to it.”
Although the No on 1 campaign halted the recount effort, it made clear Monday that it will stay engaged as the new industry takes shape. It announced plans to hold a news conference Tuesday in Augusta to outline its top priorities and immediate areas of concern as the law is implemented.
The new law makes it legal for adults to possess as much as 2½ ounces of marijuana and grow a limited number of plants. It also allows for retail stores and social clubs in municipalities that allow them. Maine is one of eight states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Marijuana is the fastest-growing industry in the country, with sales expected to reach $6.7 billion by the end of 2016.
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AUGUSTA — Supporters of Maine’s marijuana legalization initiative vowed Wednesday to fight a proposal to delay retail sales of pot until at least February 2018.
Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, and Democratic Rep. Louis Luchini of Ellsworth have introduced legislation that would give policy makers three additional months to develop and implement rules regulating the sale of marijuana for recreational use. The ballot initiative that passed by a slim majority of Maine voters in November allowed nine months for the rule-making process. The proposal would extend that window until Feb. 1, 2018.
Marijuana possession and use is slated to become legal for adults age 21 and over on Jan. 30. Thibodeau’s and Luchini’s proposal would not change that date.
Thibodeau also said Wednesday that a new, 17-member special legislative committee will begin meeting next week to review the dozens of marijuana-related bills.
“This gives us an opportunity to work through the summer on some of these tougher issues,” Thibodeau said of the special committee to handle marijuana legislation. The bill to delay implementation also would clarify that recreational marijuana will remain illegal for Mainers under age 21 – seeking to close an inadvertent loophole in the ballot initiative – and would prohibit the possession of edible marijuana for recreational purposes until February 2018. The bill would not change Maine’s medical marijuana laws, which allow possession by patients under age 21 and the use of edibles.
But David Boyer, who led the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana use said it was unnecessary for lawmakers to seek a delay before work had even started on the rules. Boyer pointed out that retail sales began in Colorado within roughly nine months and Maine has the benefit of learning from those and other experiences in the handful of states that have legalized marijuana.
“It’s being submitted as emergency legislation so that means they will need two-thirds of the House and Senate to pass this,” Boyer said. “We are cautiously optimistic we will be able to bring together a coalition of progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans to put the brakes on this.”
The ballot initiative passed by Maine voters will allow Mainers age 21 and over to possess as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use as well as up to six adult plants. The initiative also directs the state to set up a system for regulating retail sales of marijuana as well as social clubs where pot can be used. But policymakers will have to address a long list of concerns before retail sales begin.
Marijuana could be one of the defining issues of the 128th Legislature as Maine follows four other states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized the drug. Three other states, including Massachusetts, also voted to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes in November.
Maine lawmakers have introduced more than 50 bills dealing in some fashion with marijuana, although some are likely duplicates. The text of most bills is not yet available but the bill titles run the gamut from earmarking a portion of the marijuana sales tax revenues for county jails to a repeal of the 2016 ballot initiative legalizing pot.
Thibodeau and Luchini’s bill, L.D. 88, is tentatively scheduled for a public hearing Tuesday at 1 p.m. in front of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which oversees election and voting policies. Thibodeau and House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, have been in private discussions since last week to negotiate a political agreement on a path forward on legalization. A vocal opponent of legalization, Thibodeau also had wanted to delay all aspects of legalization to give regulators and law enforcement additional time to prepare. Gideon was open to a moratorium on retail sales, but she and many members of her Democratic caucus argued that Mainers should be allowed to use and grow marijuana in the interim.
“The way that we approach this is the law goes into effect on January 30th,” Gideon said recently. “Possession and cultivation of marijuana become legal and we have no intention of interfering with that.”
Thibodeau said that was a compromise on his part.
“I would have preferred to have a more extensive moratorium, but this is a great step forward,” Thibodeau said. “I am still deeply concerned about making sure law enforcement has the tools they need to keep our highways safe, so I would encourage the joint select committee make that one of their No. 1 priorities.”
Not everyone agrees with the approach taken by Thibodeau and Luchini in the bill.
Sen. Mark Dion, D-Portland, has introduced several bills to tackle the major issues individually, including a measure to close the potential loophole on underage access to marijuana and to ensure retailers cannot sell edibles in shapes and colors appealing to children.
But combining those non-controversial issues – which have the support of the legalization campaign – with the proposed moratorium is needlessly muddying the waters, Dion said.
“We may have overwhelming consensus on the under-21 piece,” said Dion, a former Cumberland County sheriff. “I’d be shocked if anyone would raise a plausible objection to the premise of that. But we could have a real difference of opinion on the moratorium.”
Boyer said while legalization advocates are not going to “die on the hill” over a three-month delay for retail sales, he and others expressed concerns about opponents dragging out the legalization process.
Paul McCarrier, who was heavily involved in last year’s legalization campaign, said they also oppose a moratorium.
“There is already nine months” in the bill, McCarrier said. “This just gives them more reasons to kick the can down the road.”
But Scott Gagnon, who headed the No on 1 campaign opposing legalization, praised the bill seeking a delay.
“We are thankful they have heard and incorporated the concerns of the half of Maine that said ‘No’ to Question 1 because of their deep concerns about the risks posed to youth and communities,” Gagnon said in a statement. “It was especially crucial to close the youth possession loophole and to continue to prohibit edibles. Our coalition strongly supports this legislation and will be actively engaged in advocacy to ensure its speedy passage. This is the perfect compromise to respect democracy while also ensuring we respect the health, safety, and welfare of all Mainers.”
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Arkansas just pushed ours back 60 days,the politicians in my district who are involved with this delay will suffer the wrath of my vote and all others that voted mmj in. Arkansians are speaking of impeachment for those who do not follow the voters will.
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You can still walk around the Common smoking a joint as long as you’re not being blatant or blowing it in a cop’s face. No one I associate with cares about MJ prohibition anymore.
Maine should allow existing MDMJ dispensaries to sell to any adult without a prescription.
I’d also like to see the label “Marijuana” changed to “Cannabis” in all future literature as well.
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AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – Governor LePage signed the marijuana moratorium bill into law on Friday afternoon, one day after the bill passed the legislature and three days before recreational pot becomes legal in Maine.
The moratorium law allows personal use of the drug starting Monday, but buys the Governor and Legislature a year to fine tune marijuana policy, before retail sales will be allowed to begin all over the state.
It was not certain if the governor would approve the legislation, since two provisions he wanted were shot down in a House vote Thursday.
Governor LePage asked for $1.6 million in funding, so the state could hire staff and pay other costs to begin creating new rules needed to implement the law. He also asked that oversight be switched from the Maine Department of Agriculture to the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations.
Democrats had opposed adding the Governor’s two items to the emergency moratorium bill, saying those issues could be decided by a special committee that will be formed next week.
So Governor LePage’s action on the bill Friday afternoon was two-fold: he signed the moratorium bill, as is, into law. But he also issued an executive order, turning one of his requested changes into law.
“Because I do not trust Speaker Gideon will approve my language in the bill she submitted in her own name, I will issue an Executive Order delegating oversight of marijuana from ACF to BABLO,” said Governor LePage. “However, no rules will be promulgated until the Legislature allocates money to fund the rulemaking process. I sign this bill today to protect Maine children from the dangers of marijuana.”
Maine Speaker of the House Sarah Gideon, a democrat, was heavily criticized in Governor LePage’s announcement.
“I deal in policy, and others deal in politics,” said Governor LePage. “I would like to commend House Minority Leader Ken Fredette and Senate Democrat Leader Troy Jackson for their attempts to fix this bill. Unfortunately, Speaker Gideon is playing dirty politics, while Ken and Troy are truly working for the best interests of the Maine people.”
The governor goes on to say that Speaker Gideon convinced her party to reject his amendments, then introduced a new bill in her name, that does the exact same thing.
Democrats in the House say Speaker Gideon submitted her own version of Governor LePage’s requests in order to allow time for public hearings.
The new moratorium law, called “An Act To Delay the Implementation of Certain Portions of the Marijuana Legalization Act,” puts a hold on many aspects of the legal pot law. Because the language of the legalization act started as a referendum question put before Maine voters, lawmakers said they had some concerns about possible loopholes.
The referendum language did not specifically state that marijuana possession would be illegal for people under 21. It only specified that marijuana possession would become legal for those over 21.There was some question about whether or not this would make it legal for minors to possess pot, but lawmakers decided to expressly forbid it in this new legislation.
The “moratorium” portion of this law puts a hold on dispensaries opening in Maine. Adults will be allowed to have pot starting on Monday, but no commercial growing or retail sites will be allowed to open for another year, to give time to legislators to create needed regulations.
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/gov-lepage-signs-marijuana-moratorium-bill-into-law/394019707
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wonderful. Last term for Gov LePage?
Well congrats 
I think ?
Im not sure if its a good thing yet, with unwritten laws to come 
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BREAKING NEWS FROM PORTSMOUTH NH
ok, I couldn’t pass this one up. Found it on my news feed this morning!
This City Hall Has a Skunky Weed Air Pollution Problem
High Times by Maureen Meehan
When a Portsmouth, New Hampshire detective observed the persistent smell of fresh pot coming from a home in the neighborhood, he rounded up his troops and raided a grow site, where they found and seized 51 plants.
The police then stashed the “contraband” in their evidence room, which is in the same building as Portsmouth City Hall.
Now, everyone in or near City Hall can smell the weed plants, and they don’t care for the aroma. Many are saying the smell is so strong that it’s making them sick.
As it turns out, there is a ventilation problem in the cops’ evidence room.
Police Lt. Mark Newport said the plants were so pungent, their skunky aroma wafted down the hall from the locked makeshift evidence room, up an elevator shaft and into the City Hall building.
As we speak, the police are sealing off the evidence room with plastic sheeting, duct tape and an air purifier.
Too bad the cops didn’t take a closer look at what they called “a sophisticated indoor grow house” when they raided it.
Although it seems that pot cultivator, Christian Lydon, didn’t have the smell problem worked out either. Lydon was released on $15,000 personal recognizance bail.
In that nearly all of the Portsmouth (population 20,800) municipal offices are in the City Hall building, there is normally a great deal of activity there.
Now, with the sweet aroma of cannabis wafting through the air, one wonders if there has been an increase of visitors stopping by City Hall. Or maybe an increase in the sale of snacks from the vending machines?
Moral of the story? Filter your dank stank! lol
Ps. Hopefully, with the new law taking effect tomorrow they will cut the guy a break?
EDIT- original headline said MAINE but this is obviously NH!
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Portsmouth Maine or Portsmouth New Hampshire? …or Kittery?
Another one for GUN OWNERS @Matthew420
If You Smoke Weed, You Can’t Legally Buy Guns
Posted at 1:22 pm on January 27, 2017 by Bob Owens
from BearingArms.com
We’ve hit on this topic a number of times in recent years, but the news clearly isn’t getting out there. If you use marijuana, even in states where it is legal to purchase and use either medically or recreationally, you are barred by federal law from purchasing firearms.
The federal government is stepping up its efforts to keep guns out of the hands marijuana users, even as legal use of the drug is spreading around the country.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives long has prohibited gun and ammunition sales to unlawful users of marijuana, citing a risk of “irrational or unpredictable behavior.” Now, the federal agency has added a warning to Form 4473 making it clear to anyone applying for a permit to buy a gun that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and using it means you cannot buy a gun, despite laws in Maine and a growing number of other states that allow medical and recreational use of the drug.
The new language, added last week to forms filled out by gun buyers in Maine and nationwide, has raised concerns that the government is unfairly denying cannabis users their Second Amendment right to bear arms. And it has renewed calls from medical and recreational marijuana advocates for a change in federal law to catch up with the country’s changing views on marijuana.
Maine is a state with a deep tradition of gun ownership. More than half of Maine adults – 55 percent – surveyed in a Portland Press Herald poll of voters last October said they owned at least one gun.
Maine also is one of 28 states that allows medicinal use of pot, and tens of thousands of Mainers have received doctors’ certificates to use the drug. It is one of eight states plus the District of Columbia that have voted to legalize recreational use by adults 21 and older. Recreational use becomes legal in Maine on Monday.
However, the federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, putting it in the same category as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Marijuana users who lie on the form and deny cannabis use, whether for medicinal use or not, could face federal charges. Lying on a federal gun purchase form is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Question 11e on Form 4473 – which asks if the buyer is “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana … or any other controlled substance?” – now has a warning printed below it in bold type that states: “The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.”
It’s not an ambiguous position, and the court system has upheld the validity of the federal position. Unless the federal government passes a law that removed marijuana from classification as a Schedule I drug, you are still considered an “unlawful user” under federal law, regardless of what the state laws may say, and you could face a federal prosecution for lying on your Form 4473 if you are caught.
Well isn’t that interesting. The title said Maine, but that is clearly Portsmouth NH LOL, not the first time the media muffed something up
I’m going to edit that @Aquaponic_Dumme or do you think I should delete it?
Up to you man, but Portsmouth is definitely in NH. Funny read though 