Recreational marijuana is legal within the state of Maine, as is true here in the State of Colorado. In 2016, Maine approved a referendum legalizing marijuana. Implementation was a work in progress for some time. The then- and current- (as of this writing) governor of Maine is a conservative man who has injected objections to the implementation. This meant that individuals could grow and possess small amounts of marijuana, but unlike the State of Colorado, no recreational dispensaries exist in Maine as of the time of this writing.
It is important to note that marijuana has remained illegal on federal lands, which do exist in Maine. For example, Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, and a portion of the Appalachian Trail. That said, even outside federal lands, in the State of Maine it is illegal to smoke or consume marijuana in public anyway. Therefore, the consumption of marijuana on any nature hike anywhere in Maine is still illegal. The possession of it (like in one’s pocket), however, is illegal on federal lands within Maine but not in areas in Maine that are not federal property.
Another interesting point about federal lands in Maine, or anywhere in the United States, is that state crimes can be charged against a person on federal lands. Where the federal government does not have a law precluding a certain behavior, but a state law exists for the land within which the federal land is located, that state law can be charged in federal court. This is done under the Federal Assimilated Crimes Act.
For example, the federal government does not have a law criminalizing driving with a suspended driver’s license. However, the State of Maine does have such a law. In Maine, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle on a public road with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, if the person knows or has been informed that his or her driver’s license has been suspended or revoked. In most circumstances this is a Class E crime in the State of Maine. If the suspension did not occur as a result of a driving under the influence charge, and it is a person’s first offense, the penalty is a minimum fine of $250. If the person’s suspension was for a financial reason (such as failure to pay a fine or a license reinstatement fee, or suspension for a dishonored check), then it is merely a traffic infraction.
The federal statutes and codes do not have a defined crime for driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. However, a person driving through Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a suspended or revoked driver’s license can be charged in federal court with the State of Maine offense and the state law penalties apply under the Federal Assimilated Crimes Act.
This is also true in the State of Colorado, which has a crime of driving under suspension or restraint. If a person in Colorado is revoked or suspended for a reason other than driving under the influence, the maximum penalty is up to six months jail and a maximum fine of $500. A person driving through Rocky Mountain National Park or the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado is driving on federal land. While there is no federal crime for driving with a suspended license, under the Federal Assimilated Crimes Act, a person driving through these national parks located within the State of Colorado can be charged in Federal court with a violation of Colorado’s state law on the subject. If that happens, the possible penalties are the same as they would be if the crime had occurred in Colorado on state land (i.e., not on federal land).