A petition in Montana to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older is eligible for the state vote in November.
Initiative 190 and Constitutional Initiative 118 will be eligible for state residents to vote after the New Approach Montana campaign collects enough signatures, local NBC affiliate KTVH-DT reported Thursday.
“Our research has always shown that a majority of Montanans support legalization, and now voters will have the opportunity to adopt that policy, which will create jobs and generate new revenue for our state,” said Pepper Petersen, a spokesman. of the campaign for the group.
New Approach Montana said it spent around $ 2 million on signing the petition and collecting more than 130,000 signatures from registered voters.
The initiative required 25,000 verified signatures to qualify, while the constitutional amendment required about 50,000.
If approved, the initiative would legalize the sale and possession of limited quantities of marijuana, while adding a 20 percent tax on the sale of non-medicinal pot products in the state.
New approach estimates weed sales would generate $ 20 million in tax revenue for the state by 2025.
The state’s constitutional amendment would allow the legislature to set the age limit for marijuana sales to 21 or older.
The current state constitution allows anyone 18 or older to have all the rights of an adult, except the possession or purchase of alcohol.
Under Montana law, possession of less than 60 grams of non-medical marijuana can result in a criminal fine of no more than $ 500 for an initial offense. A second crime under the same restrictions could result in a prison sentence of no longer than six months, plus additional fines.
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