25 Days Until Portland Considers Making Marijuana Legal for Adults

In just 25 days, Portland, Maine could become the first East Coast city in the nation to legalize marijuana for adults.

On November 5, voters will decide whether to approve a local ballot initiative that would make the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older.

MPP is part of a coalition that's backing the local initiative (which is known as "Question 1"), and we recently made national headlines when we launched a series of ads on Portland buses and bus shelters that highlight the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol. Virtually every major media outlet in Maine covered the campaign, and when critics demanded that the ads be taken down, the state's largest newspaper defended our right to display them.

We've made no secret of our plans to support a statewide initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol in Maine in November 2016 (unless the state legislature does so first). Passing Question 1 in the state's most populous city will build an incredible amount of momentum and send a message that broader reform will soon come to the entire state.