Maine's top election official says he's moving forward with another review of signatures submitted in support of a marijuana referendum.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Wednesday he won't appeal a judge's decision that revived the referendum proposal.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had disputed Dunlap's rejection of 26,779 signatures because the signature of the notary didn't match the signature on file in Augusta. A judge reversed his decision, saying the requirement of identical signatures was unreasonable.

Dunlap said the new review will be conducted "as expeditiously as possible." He said a new determination will be made "pursuant to the court order."

April 20 (4/20)  is nearly (eight days!) upon us and that means it’s time for the cannabis community to celebrate its national high holiday.

From smokey concerts to peaceful park smoke-outs, there’s never a shortage of 4/20 celebrations in the air. But this year brings a new, special kind of celebration coming from the East Coast in the form of a “Unity Torch.”

From Maine to Miami, supporters of the cannabis movement are going to pass a torch symbolically shaped as a joint to garner support and show a united front in the fight to legalize marijuana.

It’s organized by the East Coast Cannabis Coalition (ECCC) and the so-called Unity Cypher begins its journey in Portland, Maine on April 14th, making  stops in NH, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, ME, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL. Along the way, organizers promise an appearance (and great photo op) at the United National General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in New York City on April 19 and the National Cannabis Festival in Washington D.C. on April 23.

By the end of this year, several more states in the U.S. could be among those who have legalized cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. Of course, their success is up to the activists and voters in each state. If you’re in one of these states, here is what you need to know.

States where recreational legalization is on the ballot: Nevada

States where medical legalization is on the ballot: Florida

States where activists are going through the legislature or attempting to make the ballot for recreational or medical legalization: California, Vermont, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Rhode Island, Maine, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Utah, Arkansas

Long Shots

A month ago, Maine’s secretary of state said a ballot question that would have legalized recreational marijuana in the state fell short of the needed number of voter signatures to make this November’s ballot.

Immediately, the campaign behind the ballot effort cried foul and moved to challenge the decision in court, arguing Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap had inappropriately deemed nearly 17,000 signatures invalid. Because the ballot question came up about 10,000 signatures short of moving forward, the question would have been eligible to reach voters if those 17,000 signatures had been counted, the campaign said.

Does your state make the list?

Which are the marijuana-friendliest states in the nation? Where would a pot person want to buy a home and settle down?

The online national real estate search site Estately has taken a crack at answering those burning questions. The site's blog's Ultimate Lists cranks out all sorts of creative comparative data—cities with the most romantic homes for sale, states with the most pizza—and now it's done the same with weed. 

Ever wonder how your state stands up to the others in terms of marijuana tolerance? We don't mean how much your state can smoke, but how tolerant the locals are toward cannabis. The real-estate website Estately has the answer. 

Using specialized metrics, they put together rankings for all 50 states in their "Marijuana Enthusiasm Index." The criteria are: the percentage of monthly marijuana users, the average price of cannabis, the average number of marijuana-related Google searches, the legal status of marijuana and expressions of public interest (based on Facebook user data). 

Here are five interesting findings.

The Meehan family moved to Maine to have legal access to cannabis to treat Cyndimae's rare form of epilepsy, and she was able to attend school after the passage of legislation last year.

On her last day, Cyndimae Meehan did the things she loved.

She colored. She played. She took a nap in her father’s arms.

Cyndimae, whose fight for access to medical cannabis to treat a rare form of epilepsy brought her and her mother before legislators in Maine and Connecticut, died Sunday while sleeping on her father’s chest on the couch in their Augusta home. She was 13.

4/20 Cannabis Cup now in San Berdoo! OK. For reals. We think the 4/20 Cannabis Cup has actually found a home. After getting kicked out of the Denver Mart and then failing to secure the permits to hold the annual bacchanal in Pueblo, Colo., it looks like the good folks at High Times have moved the event to San Bernardino, Calif. Michael Roberts, reporting for Westword, follows the thread to the NOS Center in San Berdoo, which has hosted previous (medical) California Cannabis Cups. The U.S. Cannabis Cup, with its competitions and cannabis carnival booths, will take place there April 15–17.

Backers of an initiative to legalize marijuana filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the secretary of state’s decision to disqualify the measure from the November ballot and alleging that Secretary of State Matt Dunlap did not review every notary signature that was invalidated.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is disputing a March 2 determination by Dunlap that 26,779 signatures were invalid because the signature of the notary who signed the petitions did not match the signature on file with the office. The campaign needed 61,123 signatures but only provided 51,543 valid signatures, according to Dunlap. The campaign turned in 99,229 signatures on Feb. 1.