New England Lawmakers Seeking to Legalize Pot

Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maine are promising to push legislation to legalize marijuana in their states after voters in Colorado and Washington removed legal penalties for pot use.

Rhode Island state Rep. Edith Ajello and Maine state Rep. Diane Russell say public support for marijuana legalization is growing. They say regulated sales of marijuana would eliminate the criminal black market while raising badly needed revenue for governments.

Similar proposals are expected in Vermont and Massachusetts.

Robert Capecchi from the Marijuana Policy Project says the ballot initiatives approved in Washington and Colorado show support for legalization has reached a "tipping point."

Rhode Island is already decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana effective April 1. The new proposal would reduce all criminal penalties for adult marijuana use.

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