A new Maine-based activist group released a detailed proposal on how to legalize recreational marijuana this week , potentially adding Maine to the growing list of states nationwide where use of the drug is permitted . These efforts by Legalize Maine , based largely on an agenda of statewide economic growth , mark the second attempt in the state in recent months to put pot before voters in 2016 . Paul McCarrier , the group 's leader , highlighted the potential benefits of pot legalization -- including a substantial boost in tourism -- in a press conference in the state 's capital Wednesday . `` Our goal is a rural economic revival , '' he said , according to the Portland Press Herald . `` Rural Maine is dying and we need to stop that . Marijuana is not the golden ticket , but it 's part of the solution . '' To be eligible for a voter referendum in November 2016 , about 61,000 signatures would be needed by January 2016 . McCarrier said the group hopes to collect about 80,000 signatures in the state , and will start their activism soon . If the plan is approved , adults aged 21 and older would be allowed to possess an unlimited amount of pot in their homes -- and they 'd also be permitted to grow the plant , provided they obtain a license . The goal is to give at least 75 percent of these licenses to owners of small farms in an effort to cultivate statewide industry . Like alcohol , marijuana would be taxed at 8 % , and its use would be permitted in clubs . The Marijuana Policy Project , a national group based in Washington , D.C. , is also working toward a ballot initiative in Maine . This group also needs signatures to make it on the ballot -- but so far , it is unclear whether the two activist organizations will work together . In some Maine cities , voters voiced support earlier this month for recreational pot legalization , while the initiative was defeated in other regions . These votes were largely symbolic , though , as there is not yet any overarching state or federal laws on the books . Medical marijuana has been legal in the Pine Tree State since 1999 . So far , only four states -- Colorado , Washington , Alaska and Oregon , as well as D.C. -- have legalized recreational marijuana . Laws in these places remain hazy , as consuming marijuana is still listed as a Schedule 1 narcotic under federal law . As the tide continues to turn in favor of legal marijuana on the state level , a bipartisan group members of Congress have clamored for legal adjustments on the national level . `` It 's not more dangerous than methamphetamines or cocaine , '' said Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer at an event last week , pointing out that there were zero deaths caused by marijuana last year . For the first time , most Americans favored pot legalization in October : The idea garnered 58 % percent support , according to an October Gallup poll .
A new group in Maine wants to put pot on the statewide ballot in 2016 . It 's the second organization fighting for legal recreational marijuana in the state . The first was formed by a former police officer who now runs an anti-drug program called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), which has been pushing for legalization since 2009 and is backed by some of Maine's most