Maine Cannabis Repeal Campaign Misses Signature Deadline for 2026 Ballot

4 February 2026

A Maine campaign seeking to roll back the state’s adult-use marijuana system has missed a key deadline, keeping its proposal off the November 2026 ballot and shifting attention to a possible 2027 vote.

The Secretary of State’s office confirmed that Mainers for a Safe and Healthy Future did not file petition signatures by the February 2 deadline required for ballot qualification this year. That means voters will not see the proposed cannabis rollback question in the November 2026 election, even as the group continues to signal it intends to try again.

The measure at the center of the dispute is titled “An Act to Amend the Cannabis Legalization Act and the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act.” If enacted, it would end regulated recreational marijuana sales in Maine and eliminate home cultivation for adults beginning January 1, 2028. Adults would still be allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, but they would no longer be able to buy adult-use marijuana from licensed retailers or grow their own plants.

While the initiative removes much of the adult-use framework approved by Maine voters in 2016, it also proposes significant changes to the state’s medical cannabis system. It would require the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to create a testing program for cannabis products, requiring dispensaries and caregivers to submit cannabis and cannabis products to a licensed testing facility before distribution to qualified patients. The program would include standards for contaminants considered injurious to health, maximum allowable contamination levels, and labeling accuracy.

The proposal also calls for a tracking system that would monitor cannabis plants from seedlings through retail sale or disposal, including tracking by group during cultivation and transfers between registrants.

The petition drive became controversial even before the deadline passed. Rep. David Boyer, a Republican lawmaker, and several cannabis industry figures said signature gatherers were portraying the proposal primarily as a product safety and testing measure. Critics argued that description left out the most consequential change, ending regulated adult-use sales and home growing. Some people who signed the petition reportedly said they only learned later what the initiative would actually do.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said her office does not have enforcement authority over how petition circulators present ballot measures. She also noted that broad free speech protections apply, including the ability to lie under the First Amendment, even if the result leaves voters confused.

Funding has been another focal point. The campaign has reported it is funded entirely by out-of-state sources, including Smart Approach to Marijuana Action Inc., a Virginia-based group. Supporters of the effort have said they want stronger regulation around cannabis and a public health focus that prioritizes minors. Madison Carey, tied to the campaign, has said her concerns about regulation were shaped by her experience in recovery from opioid misuse.

Not everyone aligned with the party backing the petition drive supported it. David Jones, a Republican candidate for governor, urged voters not to sign and described the repeal effort as a “dumb idea,” arguing the state should focus elsewhere.

If the campaign had met the deadline and voters later approved the proposal, the changes would not have taken effect until January 1, 2028. To qualify for the 2026 ballot, organizers needed at least 67,682 valid signatures by February 2. With that benchmark missed, organizers have indicated they plan to target a 2027 ballot attempt.

For Maine’s cannabis consumers and businesses, the immediate impact is simple: nothing changes right now. Adult-use stores, regulated sales, and home cultivation rules remain in place. But the missed deadline does not necessarily end the fight, and the public debate over petition tactics suggests the next round, if it happens, could be as much about voter trust as it is about cannabis policy.