A supportive state-level chief exec, like New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, can push to expand existing marijuana programs. An anti-weed governor, on the other hand, can block the will of his state’s own voters, which is exactly what Maine’s Paul LePage has been doing. Last year, he vetoed a bill to establish a recreational marijuana market, even though his state's voters had said in 2016 they wanted to create one, and now he's threatening to veto another recreational marijuana bill passed by lawmakers. (The legislature may be able to override his veto this time.)
“Former Speaker Boehner is still held in high regard by a large percentage of the GOP membership and voter base,” Erik Altieri, executive director of NORML, a marijuana advocacy group, said in a statement. “We look forward to his voice joining the growing chorus calling for an end to cannabis criminalization.”
“It’s great to see a government here in New Jersey that understands the need for reforming our marijuana laws and medical marijuana program. This will help patients that need it most in the short term as the legislature continues to sort through and craft the adult-use legalization law,” New Jersey NORML Executive Director Evan Nison told Cannabis Now.
NORML’s national leadership concurred with their state affiliate.