CaseyJones
09-22-2013, 03:44 PM
http://www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-legalization-activists-target-states-2014-ahead-presidential-election-257561
Alaska and Oregon may become the next states to legalize marijuana for recreational use, as early as next year some proponents say.
Following President Barack Obama’s August decision to relegate marijuana prohibition to the state level as Colorado and Washington voters approved legalization, marijuana reform activists intend to pursue a state-by-state strategy. Such a strategy is similar to treatment of other contentious issues, such as abortion, gun control, and the death penalty.
But the big battle over marijuana prohibition will come in 2016 with the next presidential election, when proponents of marijuana legalization say younger voters will visit the polls in greater numbers. Although a slim majority of Americans support legalization, younger voters may vote for change in higher numbers than older generations, Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says.
That group, and others, plan to target state legislators in five states, including Rhode Island and Hawaii, to legalize the drug by 2017. Presently, the U.S. government classifies marijuana as a Schedule II controlled substance with no redeemable medical use, in accordance with international standards held by the United Nations (UN).
Alaska and Oregon may become the next states to legalize marijuana for recreational use, as early as next year some proponents say.
Following President Barack Obama’s August decision to relegate marijuana prohibition to the state level as Colorado and Washington voters approved legalization, marijuana reform activists intend to pursue a state-by-state strategy. Such a strategy is similar to treatment of other contentious issues, such as abortion, gun control, and the death penalty.
But the big battle over marijuana prohibition will come in 2016 with the next presidential election, when proponents of marijuana legalization say younger voters will visit the polls in greater numbers. Although a slim majority of Americans support legalization, younger voters may vote for change in higher numbers than older generations, Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says.
That group, and others, plan to target state legislators in five states, including Rhode Island and Hawaii, to legalize the drug by 2017. Presently, the U.S. government classifies marijuana as a Schedule II controlled substance with no redeemable medical use, in accordance with international standards held by the United Nations (UN).