BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2022
In October, we editorialized in favor of a “no” vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would vaguely guarantee a right to food. We worried that the proposed amendment was too vaguely worded and would lead to lawsuits. The amendment, which enshrined Mainers’ right to “grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their choosing” for personal consumption in the state constitution, was approved by voters in November. Late last month, attorneys filed suit arguing that Maine’s ban on Sunday hunting runs counter to Maine’s constitutional right to food. The suit is backed by Maine Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, a group that has unsuccessfully pushed the Legislature in recent years to overturn the Sunday hunting ban. We fear that the lawsuit will be the first of many that will use the new amendment to challenge long-standing Maine laws that restrict hunting, fishing, land access and land use.