Morning Sentinel
A proposal on the city’s ballot to give noncitizens the right to vote in municipal elections was the focus of a student-moderated forum Wednesday at Portland High School. The forum, hosted by Antoinette Skillings’ law and public policy class, included residents on both sides of the issue, advocates for immigrants and city officials who will enact the proposal if it’s approved. The forum was videotaped and will air on local cable television starting Tuesday.
New opposition has emerged in the debate about Question 5, a proposed expansion of the state’s medical-marijuana law that would allow nonprofit dispensaries to distribute the drug. Don LaRouche, of Madison, a medical-marijuana patient, and the Maine Prosecutors Association recently took public stands against the measure, which will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. LaRouche said he’s the spokesman for Maine Citizens for Medical Marijuana, an offshoot of Maine Vocals, a group that has for years wanted to legalize marijuana.
The law was opposed by Maine’s business community, which dropped some of its objections with the final version. The Maine Republican Party is leading the repeal effort. The Secretary of State approved language for a referendum last week and backers have until Sept. 11 to gather the roughly 55,000 signatures required to get the question on the November ballot.