Pro-Pot Group To File Final Signatures For Ballot

BOSTON (AP) — A group seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts says it has collected more than 25,000 signatures as a final step toward securing a spot on the November ballot.

Sponsors of ballot initiatives face a Wednesday deadline to submit at least 10,792 signatures of registered voters to city and town clerks around the state. Backers typically try to gather far more than that number to protect against duplicated signatures or ones that may be disallowed for other reasons.

The proposal from The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would allow people 21 or older to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana. It would also create a 3.75 percent excise tax on retail marijuana sales.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey are among those opposing legalization.