Maine voters narrowly pass Question 1 by 3,995 votes to legalize adult-use cannabis

On November 8, 2016, Maine voters approved Question 1 in the closest statewide cannabis legalization vote in American history: 50.26% Yes (381,768 votes) to 49.74% No (377,773 votes)—a margin of just 3,995 votes out of 759,541 cast. After opponents requested a recount and then conceded in December 2016 once early county tallies confirmed the margin, Maine became the eighth state to legalize adult-use cannabis.

What Maine’s law allowed—and the multi-year battle to launch retail

• Personal possession: Taking effect on January 30, 2017, Question 1 legalized adult possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis (one of the highest public possession limits in the country at the time).
• Home cultivation: Under the refined Adult Use Cannabis Law eventually enacted by the legislature, adults 21 and older may grow up to 3 mature flowering plants, 12 immature plants, and an unlimited number of seedlings per person at home.
• Overriding Governor LePage’s veto: Former Governor Paul LePage vetoed the legislature’s initial regulatory implementation bill in 2017 and a revised bill in April 2018. On May 2, 2018, the Maine Legislature overrode his veto (109–39 in the House and 28–6 in the Senate) to enact LD 1719, and licensed adult-use retail stores finally opened across Maine on October 9, 2020.