Ready for Nationwide Marijuana Legalization? (VIDEO)

by Austin Petersen

National Polls Show Overwhelming Support For Full Legalization

PORTLAND, MAINE – MSNBC’s Martin Bashir took aim at Maine’s Governor Paul LePage for some of his controversial comments about “lazy” workers in his state. During the segment, Bashir segued into an interesting conversation about the nationwide legalization of Marijuana, reporting that 58% of American citizens believe we should have full legalization.

Voters in Portland will be asked on November 5th if they would like to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, with ownership set at up to 2.5 ounces. The vote is being looked at as a national referendum, putting an east coast state on the map for legalizing along with Colorado and Washington.

The local political director for the Marijuana Policy Project stated, “I think there’s national implications, keeping the momentum that Washington and Colorado started last November in ending marijuana prohibition. This is just the next domino.”

The MPP targeted Maine for the effort due to laws that allow referendums to be placed on the ballot through their initiative process. There is no organized opposition to the measure and with the elections only weeks away, it’s too late to put together any decent campaign to oppose it.

20 states and Washington D.C. have legalized cannabis for medical use. Signature-collecting drives are now underway in Alaska for a vote in 2014, with Arizona, Maryland, New Hampshire, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont targeted for 2016 and 2017.


Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

1 comment

RogueR October 25, 2013 at 9:33 pm

Maine was also a state that heavily supported Ron Paul. Another good reason to target it as the “next domino”

Leave a Comment