Index
Maine Right to Food Amendment
Summary
In 2021, Maine became the first state in the US to enshrine the 'Right to Food' directly into its state constitution, protecting individuals' rights to grow, raise, and harvest their own food.
Rights & Rules
- 01.You have a constitutional right to grow your own vegetables, raise your own livestock, and hunt or forage for your own food.
- 02.You have the right to consume the food you produce or to barter/trade it with others.
- 03.The government cannot pass laws that criminalize backyard gardening or basic personal food production.
- 04.This right does not exempt you from laws regarding animal cruelty, trespassing, or poaching out of season.
Penalties
- 01.Because it is a constitutional amendment, it serves as a legal shield. If a local town tries to pass an ordinance banning vegetable gardens, a citizen can sue the town to strike down the ordinance as unconstitutional.
Verified Citations
Constitution of Maine, Article I, Section 25
Source"All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing..."