The hope Maine marijuana proponents had of growing their own pot by the Yuletide is going up in smoke because a recount of the Marijuana Legalization ballot question to legalize the practice will likely drag into next year.
The recount began Monday in Augusta. Maine residents last month approved legalizing marijuana by a narrow 4,073-vote margin in an election that attracted more than 750,000 votes.
The hotly debated referendum question asked if voters wanted to legalize recreational pot use by adults at least 21 years old. Legalization would require a regulatory structure that would take months to implement.
Maine voted in the marijuana referendum on a busy day for pot laws nationwide. California, Nevada and Massachusetts all legalized recreational marijuana. Arizona shot down a similar law.
Maine also has a medical marijuana law, which allows for patients to cultivate up to six mature marijuana plants. Proponents of recreational marijuana have pledged that the medical program will be unaffected by full legalization.
Source: Homegrown Pot for Christmas? Only in Your Dreams, Mainers
