Marijuana reform initiatives on the ballot in 2016 - Official results thread

[RonPaulIsGreat]

MAn,, I would commit but just got sum premo $#@! yo. Can't feel my face... Wow.. this aint grandpas bud... What that is??? Space weed man.

[tommyrp12]

Not bad. Not great either. I know the politicians, regulators and other recipients of tax money are drooling. But it is a tiny increase in freedom for small personal growers and smokers.

[AZJoe]

[tommyrp12]

Boogity-Boogity. Reject freedom and become a social justice warrior.

MPHA Statement on Marijuana Ballot Initiative (Question*4)

https://mapublichealth.org/2016/10/0...m_medium=email

MPHA has evaluated the available research literature and listened to both proponents and opponents of the question. After careful study, MPHA has concluded that the ballot initiative does not contain sufficient public health protections and that the potential dangers far outweigh any potential benefits. *Further, we have found little evidence that this ballot question would have a substantive impact on the racial discrimination that has been a stain on our country’s criminal justice system for far too long. *MPHA urges voters to reject this ballot question and join us to support more meaningful criminal justice reform that will reverse the institutionalized discrimination in our drug policies and protect public health.

[Lucille]

Foes of legalized marijuana are amassing a huge amount of cash in a last-minute bid to quash the measure.

The latest figures show Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy has so far collected more than $2.7 million. Most significant, more than $900,000 of that has come in the past three weeks as different polls have shown the fate of Proposition 205 could swing either way.

Whether any of that is having an effect remains to be seen.

The most recent survey, released Monday, shows 43 percent of those questioned in support and 47 percent opposed. That could leave the outcome up to the 10 percent who told OH Predictive Insights they had not made up their mind.

But what’s significant is that the same pollster, using the same methodology, had found Proposition 205 trailing by a larger margin of 40 to 51 percent just a month earlier.

Now comes the big fiscal push.

Less than a week ago the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry poured $498,000 into the anti-205 measure. That is more than four times as much as the business group had provided since the campaign started.

There’s also a new $115,000 donation from Virginia-based SAM Action, short for Smart Approach to Marijuana, a group that has opposed legalization efforts in many other states.

The pro-205 effort benefited from a $110,000 donation two weeks ago from Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

I've seen a few pro-205 signs and ads. This one aired recently, and made the point about how prohibition helps the cartels.

[Lucille]

If Arizona’s ballot measure passes, pot shops would soon arise in a place that has long been a center of drug smuggling. In cities such as Nogales, smugglers are seen almost daily scaling the border fence with backpacks of weed.

“This is a day-in and day-out fight,” said Col. Frank Milstead, head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. “I can’t tell you that a day goes by that we don’t actually interdict somebody smuggling some sort of drug into the state.”

How drug cartels respond to legalization has been a focus of debate in Arizona.

Law enforcement leaders say the change will strengthen cartels, allowing them to infiltrate the legal pot market and driving them to sell more hard drugs. Advocates of legalization say it will undercut the cartels by eliminating a key segment of their business.

Carlos Alfaro, the deputy campaign manager for Proposition 205, says legalization in other states has already led to a drop in marijuana seizures by the Border Patrol.

From fiscal year 2011 to 2015, the number of seizures made by the agency nationwide fell by 39 percent. In the Tucson sector, at one point the busiest smuggling corridor in the nation, seizures fell by 28 percent, according to Border Patrol statistics.

“Now cartels have competition,” Alfaro said. “They have to compete with legitimate business in the U.S. with product that is more pure, with regulations on the shelf and prices.”
[...]
For now, cannabis remains the primary drug seized on the border, Beeson said.

All around the border, cartels hire lookouts who sit atop hills and mountains, watching for law enforcement activity. They disguise trucks under camouflage deep in the Arizona desert, stripping them of their insides and filling them top to bottom with drugs. Most recently, smugglers have turned to homemade cannons to launch giant loads of marijuana over the border fence.

A few weeks ago, authorities near the border found a 6-foot plastic-wrapped cylinder filled with 110 pounds of pot after hearing a loud boom, Milstead said. Detectives concluded that it had been launched by air cannon and landed about 250 yards from the border fence.

The region’s roads and highways are also peppered with Border Patrol checkpoints, where agents look for drugs and smugglers. Those checkpoints will remain even if pot is made legal.

That’s because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, which trumps state regulations. Border Patrol agents at checkpoints would seize marijuana from anyone who had it regardless of its legal status in the state, a spokesman said. But it’s unlikely they would detain anyone.
[...]
Local law enforcement officials say legal pot will present other obstacles, such as impaired drivers. They worry about traffic fatalities, which they say have gone up in Colorado as a result of marijuana, and they say that making drug arrests would be much harder because the smell of cannabis would no longer provide probable cause to search someone.

Retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Finn Selander, a proponent of legalization, agrees that crime organizations will turn to other drugs, but he said marijuana is their most lucrative moneymaker and legalization would still cripple them.

The possibility that cartels will turn to something else to sell is a given but a “lame excuse” to oppose legal pot, Selander said.

“That’s what organized crime is all about is to find something they can peddle,” he said.

[jct74]

Thanks Lucille. That's a lot of money the opposition is lining up in Arizona, I think it's going to be a real close one. Speaking of that, look who else is throwing in big bucks to maintain prohibition there and keep the profits flowing. Doesn't get much sleazier than this really.

Prison Food Company Funds Legal Marijuana Opposition

BY TOM ANGELL
OCTOBER 11TH, 2016

A company that makes money selling food to prisons is helping to bankroll the effort to defeat marijuana legalization, a review of new campaign finance records shows.

Services Group of America, whose subsidiary Food Services of America prepares meals for correctional facilities, gave $80,000 late last month to a campaign committee opposing the legal cannabis measure on Arizona’s November ballot.

Also giving big to keep cannabis prohibition on the books in Arizona is the state Chamber of Commerce, which dropped $498,000 into the campaign last week.

The new donations are on top of the $500,000 that opioid maker Insys Therapeutics gave in late August to oppose legalization in Arizona. The alcohol industry is on board, too: The Arizona Wine and Spirits Wholesale Association donated $10,000 earlier this year. And SAM Action, the campaign arm of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, contributed $115,000 last week.

But the support from Services Group of America in particular raises questions about the company’s interest in maintaining prohibition. If marijuana were legalized and fewer people were arrested, charged and sentenced to prison for it, there’d likely be fewer mouths behind bars for Food Services of America to feed.

...

read more:
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2...na-opposition/

[jct74]

also in Arizona...

Former DEA Agents Rally In Support Of Marijuana Legalization In Arizona
Because they believe law enforcement has more important things to do.

by Emily Tate
10/12/2016

Two unlikely proponents of marijuana legalization stopped by Arizona State University Wednesday to campaign on behalf of Proposition 205, the state’s initiative to legalize and regulate weed.

A pair of retired agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration encouraged some of ASU’s 80,000 college students to vote “yes” on Prop. 205. Their appearance was organized by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and timed to coincide with the beginning of early voting in the state.

The former special agents, Finn Selander and Michael Capasso, were on hand to speak to students and explain why they support an initiative that runs counter to their former careers as drug warriors.

“It was a huge success,” Capasso told The Huffington Post. “They were interested, and they liked my perspective — coming from the DEA. Most of the people I spoke to were thumbs-up on Prop. 205.”

...

read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b0e8c198a5794e



one of them appears in an ad

[H. E. Panqui]

...the issue of marijuana prohibition, in general, clearly exposes a lot of republicrats as goddamned fools...especially republicans, imo...as they are the ones frequently foaming about their love and respect for the constitution, 'liberty', etc...as if this stinking 'war on drugs' is in harmony with the con. or is harmonious with 'liberty'...

...drug war pigs, snitches/finks, helicopters, lawyers, courtrooms, judges, jails, jailers, peepee checkers, probation officers, drug counselors, etc. hanger$-on galore...and yet many of these fool republicrat drug warriors will b!tch and moan about 'big government' and 'high taxes'...

...these goddamned fool republicrat politicians and their dumbass supporters are so stooooooooooooooooooooopid, so corrupt, so close-minded, etc., that THEY WON'T EVEN REPEAL THE LAWS PROHIBITING/INTERFERING WITH THE GROWING OF HEMP!!!...a completely harmless, extremely useful, beneficial, etc., plant

...in some 80 years of this [federal] republicrat 'war on drugs' americans have gone from a people who largely didn't even know what marijuana was to a country now where the republicrats have a hard time fielding candidates who haven't been photographed sucking on a bong at college!.. ...and yet the goddamned fools want to 'drug-war harder'... ...worse than stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooopid ...insane, evil...

...government officials in maine are now making the concerted claim that 'voting yes on 1 will allow children to possess pot'...

....goddamned. republicrat. fools. ...btw, you maine lepage 'liberty' republicans: STFU you gd fools...

...ah...that felt good...thank-you, rpf!..

[jct74]

yep, Maine governor and Attorney General are tag-teaming to try to scare the $#@! out of people.

Paul LePage Warns Maine Against ‘Deadly’ Marijuana Legalization In Over-The-Top Video
The governor lied and exaggerated in a bid to sway voters against a ballot initiative.

Daniel Marans
10/14/2016




America’s most ignorant governor is at it again.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) released a false and misleading video on Thursday in an attempt to convince residents to vote “no” on “Question 1,” a marijuana legalization referendum on the state’s ballot in November.

“Question 1 is not just bad for Maine, it can be deadly,” LePage warns, before claiming traffic fatalities have gone up in Colorado since the state legalized recreational pot.

In the video, LePage also asserts that marijuana is three times stronger than it was several decades ago. He then links the drug to the state’s serious heroin and opioid epidemic, alleging that “people addicted to marijuana are three times more likely to be addicted to heroin.”

He goes on to describe a dystopian future in which children and pets die from accidentally consuming “marijuana snacks,” and in which drug culture impinges on “schools, daycare centers and churches.”

“They will smoke weed and sell pot at state fairs,” he adds. “Businesses could not fire employees for using marijuana.”

...

read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b06e0475945215

Maine AG says Question 1 would allow children to have pot

By Darren Fishell
October 13, 2016

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Attorney General Janet Mills delivered a blow to marijuana legalization advocates Thursday, issuing a revised assessment that the bill would make it legal for children to possess up to 2.5 ounces of the drug.

A Maine attorney representing advocates of the measure, Question 1 on the November ballot, said her office is wrong and that Maine law already makes it illegal for people under 21 to use marijuana. Television station WCSH first reported Mills’ assessment of the question Thursday afternoon.

The October surprise for the Question 1 campaign came after Mills’ office completed an earlier analysis of the question that on Oct. 3 was published in the secretary of state’s voter guide, which did not explicitly address implications for children.

Mills was attending a meeting in Baxter State Park on Thursday and was unavailable to speak to the Bangor Daily News about that earlier analysis.

The new analysis echoed statements from Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson during a televised debate about the question and a radio interview with host Ray Richardson.

...

read more:
http://bangordailynews.com/2016/10/1...n-to-have-pot/

[jct74]

Sheldon Adelson throws in a million bucks to fighting marijuana legalization in Massachusetts.

Sheldon Adelson donating $1 million to Mass. anti-pot campaign

By Travis Andersen
OCTOBER 15, 2016

Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is joining the fight against a ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Massachusetts, donating $1 million to an opposition group, officials from the group said Friday.

The sizable contribution from Adelson, a Dorchester native, will appear in public filings next week, according to the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts.

...

Adelson, the billionaire chief executive of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, and his wife have donated generously to Republican political candidates and committees, as well as efforts to combat addiction.

The couple founded the Adelson Clinic in Las Vegas in 2000, which provides treatment and counseling services to patients battling opiate addictions. The clinic also has a location in Israel, according to its website.

Additional donors to the antimarijuana-legalization effort in Massachusetts have included Bruins icon Bobby Orr, who contributed $1,000 to the Safe and Healthy Campaign.

...

read more:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...LbP/story.html



Also donated $2 million this week to "Protect Nevada's Children", which several of the casinos have also contributed to.

Adelson and Casinos Fund Nevada Legal Marijuana Opposition

BY TOM ANGELL
OCTOBER 19TH, 2016

Casino interests, led by conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson, are providing the the vast majority of funds for the effort to defeat marijuana legalization in Nevada.

Adelson, owner of The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, dropped $2 million into the leading opposition committee, Protecting Nevada’s Children, according to campaign finance records filed late Tuesday night.

The money from Adelson, who Forbes says is the 21st richest person in the world, accounts for more than 95 percent of all funds the prohibitionist committee has raised to date.

...

Joining Adelson in funding the legal marijuana opposition in Nevada are the South Point Hotel & Casino, which gave $50,000; MGM Resorts International, which contributed $25,000 and the Boyd Gaming Corporation, which is in for $10,000. Also, the Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa Casino gave $1,500 and the Atlantis Casino & Resort dropped $1,000 to support continued cannabis prohibition.

...

read more:
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2...na-opposition/



I have no idea why so many in the gambling industry are fighting against weed legalization, doesn't seem like it would be a threat to their business in any significant way.


.

[jct74]

In Arizona, Discount Tire has donated $1 million to defeating marijuana legalization.

Discount Tire gives $1 million to campaign against marijuana legalization

Mike Sunnucks
Oct 15, 2016

Discount Tire Co. has contributed $1 million to the campaign against an Arizona ballot measure that would legalize marijuana, according to state campaign finance records.

Scottsdale-based Discount Tire donated the money to a group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy in Opposition to Prop. 205, according to campaign finance records from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.

...

Construction machinery Empire Southwest LLC also donated another $150,000 to the no effort. Empire had already donated $50,000.

Discount Tire has more than 900 stores in 31 U.S. states. It is the largest privately held company in the state and one of the top 100 private companies in the U.S., according to Business Journal research and Forbes magazine. The company also is a big motor sports sponsor, which includes Nascar.

...

The Arizona Republican Party, Bennett Dorrance, a founding partner of real estate development firm DMB Associates and a Campbell Soup Co. heir, Christian businessman Foster Friess and Tucson developer Don Diamond have donated $10,000 each to the anti-legalization campaign.

...

read more:
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/n...n-against.html



Doubt this will have much of an effect, but I support any effort to fight back against these prohibitionist scumbags.

Discount Tire Boycott Movement Grows as Owner Donates $1M to Keep Marijuana a Felony

BY RAY STERN
OCTOBER 17, 2016

Phoenix-based Discount Tire Company and its billionaire owner, Bruce Halle, face a growing boycott movement after making a $1 million donation to help defeat Proposition 205, the ballot initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Arizona.

In August, local immigrant-rights groups organized a boycott after Discount Tire stores posted "Re-Elect Sheriff Joe Arpaio" signs in their windows. An infamous foe of the Latino community, Arpaio is almost certain to face criminal charges of contempt for violating a federal judge's orders in connection with the landmark discrimination case Melendres v. Arpaio.

Now, if recent polls prove accurate, Discount Tire has taken a stand against roughly half the state's registered voters.

...

read more:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/...felony-8746517

[Suzanimal]

Dang it, I (used to) buy tires there.

[pcosmar]

Dang it, I (used to) buy tires there.

Lots of other folks have tires.

nicer folks

I do that stuff

[Suzanimal]

Lots of other folks have tires.

nicer folks

I do that stuff

For sure! That's why I stuck the used to in there.

[jct74]

Here's a couple of ads running in Massachusetts trying to scare the $#@! out of people. This one has a few inaccuracies.






And God forbid your dog might get into some pot and be stoned for a few hours. I would think there a lot of things around the house that could do it much greater harm. Just another stupid new scare tactic.

[tod evans]

Boogity-boogity..

Fortunately people are finally starting to see scare tactics for what they are...

[tod evans]

//

[Suzanimal]

Here's a couple of ads running in Massachusetts trying to scare the $#@! out of people. This one has a few inaccuracies.

"Mom?"
"Kevin?"

Lol, that commercial reminded me of an after school special.

[jct74]

WBUR poll in Massachusetts has legalization initiative up 55-40.
http://www.wbur.org/politicker/2016/...n-poll-october


Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll in Arizona has legalization initiative up 50-42.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...-205/92417690/

HighGround poll is Arizona has legalization initiative up 50-45.
http://www.azhighground.com/blog/pos...statewide-poll

[jct74]

Super Bowl champ Jim McMahon makes the case for marijuana legalization in Arizona.

[jct74]

largest newspaper in Maine endorse marijuana legalization initiative

Our View: Maine needs rational pot policy, so vote ‘yes’ on Question 1
On Election Day, Mainers have a chance to vote against the failed 40-year war on drugs.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD
October 20, 2016

Sometimes it’s the leaders who need leadership. For decades, politicians have been clinging to outdated ideas about drug policy because they didn’t want to appear soft on crime.

We support the citizen-initiated Question 1, an act to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol, because it would tell lawmakers to change course.

A “yes” vote says that there is such a thing as responsible, adult use of marijuana. The current law makes criminals out of people who are otherwise law-abiding and dumps millions of dollars into a tax-free black market. Legalization would put low-risk marijuana use on the right side of the law, and focus resources where they are more needed.

...

Ultimately, this measure is a referendum on the war on drugs, a 40-year-old failed public policy that has used the criminal justice system to address a public health problem. It has given Maine a marijuana policy that makes no sense – one that winks at some violators, punishes others too severely and pumps money into criminal organizations. Our medical marijuana program does a lot of good, but it’s haphazard, making cannabis unavailable to some people who would benefit from it, while providing a back door to legalization for some recreational users.

The referendum question is far from perfect, but it provides the framework for a much more workable system than now exists to balance personal liberty with legitimate public safety risks.

...

read more:
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/10/2...on-question-1/

[jct74]

In MA all the typical tyrants are against it.

Campaign for a Safe & Healthy Massachusetts is the primary opposition group.

Opponents

Individuals
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey
https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusett...stion_4_(2016)

To piss off the above mentioned I will gladly vote in favor of question 4 this election cycle. It will be interesting if Maura will reinterpret this law to her liking like the AWB.

State Senate President Stan Rosenberg came out for it last week, making him the highest ranking state official to endorse the measure so far.

http://www.masslive.com/politics/ind...tan_ros_2.html


Besides that though pretty much the whole political establishment is lined up against it, you are correct. Fortunately doesn't seem to be having much of an effect, with the latest poll showing it leading by 15 points.

[jct74]

Boogity-boogity..

Fortunately people are finally starting to see scare tactics for what they are...

Here's another one for you Tod. Even the newspaper reporters are starting to call them out for their BS.

Edible marijuana could be 'threat' this Halloween, but sheriff offers no proof

David Harris
October 24, 2016

Surrounded by kids in costumes, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings on Monday said at a news conference that parents should watch out for marijuana-laced candy that might be put in trick-or-treat bags on Halloween.

Demings, president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, warned that it could happen if Florida voters in November pass Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana. The association opposes the amendment.

Proponents of the amendment said Demings' claims are baseless.

"What Sheriff Demings is saying is completely unrealistic," said Ben Pollara, director of United For Care, the pro-medical-marijuana group funded by Orlando attorney John Morgan that pushed to get the issue on the ballot. "It's not grounded in fact or experience in the 25 other states and in [Washington] D.C. that already have medical marijuana."

Even though the amendment won't be voted on until Nov. 8 — after Halloween — the threat is still there, Demings said. He could not offer examples of children receiving laced Halloween candy in states where medical marijuana is legal.

...

read more:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...024-story.html

[tod evans]

I've been closely associated with stoners for well over 40 years and I've yet to know anybody to give weed to a kid..

I have known parents to smoke with their teenagers but that's a whole 'nuther thing, they weren't tricking or deceiving anybody and they certainly weren't getting unsuspecting children high..

These people and their war on drugs scare me!

Their attitudes are frightening and their ignorance astounding.

[jct74]

Jimmy Buffett says Yes on 2 in Florida

Jimmy Buffett Backs Florida's Medical Marijuana Amendment 2

Steve Bloom
October 25, 2016




"Duh," says yacht-rocker Jimmy Buffett about Amendment 2 in Florida that would legalize medical marijuana on Nov. 8. "All it took was for me to fall off the stage in Australia and have to get serious medical attention afterwards. And I can tell you from first-hand experience that medical marijuana is a great cure. That's why I'm voting No on 1 and Yes on 2… We've been enjoying the sun for most of our lives in Florida and now it's time to use it right, and use it for everybody's benefit. That's why I'm voting No on 1."

No on 1 opposes an amendment that would give utility companies further control of the energy market.

Buffett fell off a stage while performing in Australia in 2011. He banged his head and needed several stitches. His backing group is famously known as the Coral Reefer Band. In 2014, Buffett's company, Margaritaville Enterprises LLC, filed for a trademark with the plan of selling marijuana products under that name.

http://www.celebstoner.com/news/cele...a-amendment-2/

[jct74]

Two new polls in Nevada

53% support, 41% oppose - KTNV / Rasmussen

47% support, 43% oppose - Las Vegas Review Journal (Sheldon Adelson's paper)


Support in the LVRJ poll is again kind of low as it was in their poll a few weeks ago, but it's also worth noting that the lead has increased from 1 point to 4 points between those two polls.

[jct74]

Huge endorsement in Massachusetts from the Boston Globe, going against pretty much the entire political establishment in the state.

Just say ‘yes’ on Question 4

EDITORIAL
OCTOBER 27, 2016

THE OPPONENTS of Question 4, which would legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, have inadvertently provided the best reason to vote for the measure. Those opponents include virtually every elected official and law enforcement officer in the state, from Governor Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey on down, and their lockstep opposition (with the lonely exception of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg) sends a clear message that Beacon Hill will not legalize marijuana on its own, no matter how little popular support prohibition may have.

And that’s too bad. If the political leaders of the Commonwealth showed even the slightest interest in legalization, it would probably make sense to wait for lawmakers to produce a better-crafted proposal than the current ballot measure. But Question 4 is all we’ve got. The Globe endorses the yes campaign, despite the proposal’s many flaws, because the harm stemming from continued inaction on marijuana would be even greater.

...

read more:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/e...93H/story.html


--


San Diego Union-Tribune just endorsed in California. I think all the major papers in CA have now endorsed.

Yes on Prop. 64: California should legalize marijuana

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board
October 27, 2016

Perhaps the most high-profile measure on the Nov. 8 ballot, Proposition 64 wouldn’t just legalize recreational use of marijuana by adults in California. It would set up a regulatory framework that governed licensing, advertising, labeling and testing for a multibillion-dollar industry. It would also launch a mass social experiment. No state anywhere near this large has ever legalized marijuana.

If approved, the ballot measure championed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom would allow those 21 and older to grow up to six plants at home, so long as the plants are not readily visible to the public, and to buy and possess an ounce or less of marijuana and 8 grams or less of concentrated cannabis products. It would remain illegal to smoke or otherwise consume marijuana in public, and to smoke pot anywhere tobacco smoking is banned. Marijuana could, however, be used at licensed cafes. Marijuana sales would have a 15 percent state tax, and growers would be taxed based on the weight of their harvest. Annual state revenue of about $1 billion is expected, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board supports Proposition 64. We get why many worry about giving a de facto seal of acceptability to casual drug use. But the state already is inundated with pot use because of Proposition 215, a lax 1996 medical marijuana law used by tens of thousands of Californians and sometimes gamed. The argument that it makes sense to regulate and tax the drug rather than accept a status quo of little regulation and taxation is powerful and persuasive.

...

read more:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...026-story.html

[jct74]

Bunch of celebrities endorse in California too.

http://artistsfor64.com/

Artists Come Out Strong in Support of Marijuana Legalization in California
Jay Z, Russell Simmons, Olivia Wilde, and other luminaries want you to vote Yes in favor of Proposition 64.

By Tony Newman
October 25, 2016

A group of well-known actors and musicians today came out in favor of Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, a voter initiative on the November 2016 ballot that will control, regulate and tax responsible adult use, sale and cultivation of marijuana in California.

Artists for 64 is being organized by dream hampton and Mike de la Rocha of Revolve Impact and includes Jesse Williams, Shailene Woodley, Olivia Wilde, Shawn "Jay Z" Carter, Russell Simmons, Danny Glover, Piper Kerman, Ty Dolla $ign, Pusha T., Common, Tim Robbins, Michael K Williams and Al Harrington.

Last week Jay Z released a video about the history of the War on Drugs, calling it an “epic fail” and favoring Prop. 64. And yesterday retired 16-year NBA veteran Al Harrington released another powerful new video on TheRoot.com. In it Harrington describes the benefits he and his grandmother receive from using marijuana.

Artists for Prop. 64 joins an unprecedented coalition of bipartisan supporters of this initiative, including: California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Academy of Preventative Medicine, California Nurses Association, the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council, California Medical Association, United Farm Workers, California State NAACP, the Courage Campaign, Equality California, the National Latino Officers Association, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and leading activists Michelle Alexander, Dorsey Nunn and Susan Burton.

...

read more:
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/artist...ion-california



here's former NBA player Al Harrington



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTOBsKyurpE

[jct74]

Issue 7 struck from the ballot 12 days before election day in Arkansas, with 142,000 ballots already cast through early voting. Issue 6 remains on the ballot. They are both medical marijuana initiatives, but Issue 7 is considered to be the better of the two.

Arkansas Court Disqualifies 2nd Medical Marijuana Proposal

By ANDREW DEMILLO
Oct 27, 2016

The Arkansas Supreme Court has disqualified a medical marijuana proposal from the November ballot less than two weeks before the election and with thousands of votes already cast, but voters will still be able to consider a competing plan.

In a 5-2 ruling Thursday, the court sided with opponents of the proposed initiated act — known as Issue 7 — that would have allowed patients with certain medical conditions and a doctor's recommendation to purchase marijuana from dispensaries. The proposal was one of two medical marijuana proposals on the ballot, and justices earlier this month rejected a challenge to a competing measure.

The ruling comes after nearly 142,000 people have already cast ballots through early voting, which began Monday in Arkansas for the general election.

Justices tossed out more than 12,000 signatures that were approved by election officials for the proposal, saying supporters didn't comply with laws regarding registration and reporting of paid canvassers. The decision left the group nearly 2,500 signatures shy of what was needed to qualify for the ballot.

...

read more:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/a...posal-43102130



Even opponents of the initiative are like - WTF?

State Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe, a spokesman for the anti-medical pot coalition, said the ruling doesn't change the group's strategy and that he was concerned about the court striking a ballot measure so close to the election. The court earlier rejected separate lawsuits by the coalition against both proposals, but those challenges focused on the proposals' language and not its petitions.

"Honestly, at this point in the stage, 12 days before the election, it sounds kind of strange, but I actually kind of wish it would have gone to the voters and let them vote it up or down at this point," Bledsoe said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/a...posal-43102130

The surgeon general said he empathizes with the initiative proponents’ “passion and frustration” even if he disagrees with them on the medicinal benefits of marijuana in its current form. Disqualifying the ballot initiative 12 days before the vote could be “disillusioning” to people who wanted their voices to be heard, he said.

“It furthers this narrative that the government isn’t working for us and it undermines, in their minds, the process,” Bledsoe said.

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2016/o...al-marijuana-/