AUGUSTA, Maine - Mainers will mostly likely vote next fall on a citizen initiative to make marijuana legal for people suffering from certain diseases.

The proposal by Mainers for Medical Rights will first go before lawmakers. If the Legislature does not approve the measure, it will be sent to a referendum in November because it is a citizen initiative.

The purpose of the initiative is to legalize the use of marijuana "to provide important therapeutic and palliative benefits to many patients who suffer from debilitating conditions resulting from certain diseases or treatment of these diseases."

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