New York Times quotes Brewer in article on proposed marijuana legalization
Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, was quoted in the New York Times article, “Marijuana legalization in New England is stalled by opiate crisis.” Legal marijuana advocates are looking to New England to aid efforts to expand legalization nationwide, according to the article, but the largely liberal region is struggling with the devastating effects of opiate abuse, and many lawmakers are balking at the idea of legalizing a banned substance, citing potential social costs. In Maine, a proposed ballot initiative to legalize marijuana that was stopped when the secretary of state invalidated thousands of signatures recently was granted a new review, the article states. Brewer said if the initiative makes the ballot, he thinks it has a “relatively good chance of passage.” MSN News and Alaska Dispatch News carried the NYT report.