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Maine Lawmakers Send Pot Sales Bill To Gov, Who Vows To Veto It

Robert F. Bukaty
/
Associated Press/file
In this Nov. 21, 2014, file photo, medical marijuana is rolled into a joint in Belfast, Maine.

Legislators in Maine have sent a compromise bill governing marijuana retail sales to Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who has vowed to veto it.
The Senate gave final approval to the bill Tuesday. LePage recently said he'd veto it because it won't combine medical and adult-use marijuana programs. But votes in the House and Senate suggest lawmakers may have the two-thirds support needed in each chamber to override him.
 
LePage has 10 days to sign, veto or let it go into law without his signature.
 
Pot possession is already legal in Maine. If the bill becomes law, regulators will be tasked with drawing up rules to allow pot sales likely by 2019 or 2020.
 
The bill eliminates marijuana social clubs, reduces the number of plants that people can have, and prohibits sale near schools.