Maine Marijuana Opponents Can't Get Enough Volunteers for Legalization Recount
Legalization proponents chipping in with extra volunteers.
Opponents of the Maine referendum to legalize marijuana, which passed by a margin of 4,073 votes, or half a percent, have been unable to muster together the 10 volunteers they were asked to contribute to a recount effort they've demanded.
The Portland Press Herald reports that No on 1, which requested a recount, has not offered a full list of volunteer counters to authorities—instead, proponents of marijuana legalization (Yes on 1), have offered additional volunteers for the recount process in order to prevent delays. The recount will continue until December 16, then resume on January 1 after the holidays. Legalization is supposed to go into effect in January, although it's unclear when, and it will take at least one more year for the state to set up the regulatory structure it wants to impose on the marijuana industry in the state.
Yes on 1's campaign manager noted that it was "silly" that his side had to offer its own volunteers in lieu of their opponents, who requested the recount. "The whole point is to ensure the integrity of the vote and they can't be bothered to do that," David Boyer said, according to the Press Herald. "What are we doing here?"
It's not so surprising that opponents of marijuana legalization would request a recount and then not offer help to accomplish it. One hallmark of the nanny stater is the belief that someone else should be responsible for their desires. The recount is expected to cost nearly half a million dollars and, according to Boyer, the recounts completed so far haven't significantly changed the totals—the state will not release recount numbers until the counting is finished.