Legalization
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
New Rasmussen Poll: 56 Percent Favor Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana
Legalization David Downs — Wed, May 23, 2012 at 10:49 AM
As sensible cannabis policy continues to trend across the land, more Americans approve of taxing and regulating pot than they do of President Obama's job performance, according to a new Rasmussen poll released May 17.
In a telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters nationwide conducted May 12 by Rasmussen Reports, the pollsters asked: "Would you favor or oppose legalizing marijuana and regulating it in the similar manner to the way alcohol and tobacco cigarettes are regulated today?"
Friday, March 2, 2012
Colorado Legalizers Get Amendment 64 on the Ballot
Legalization David Downs — Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 10:47 AM
On Monday, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler certified an initiative for the state's November 6 general election that legalizes personal possession of marijuana by adults 21 and over. The initiative gathered over 177,000 signatures and is now known as Amendment 64.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Former NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer on "Real Time with Bill Maher": Legalize Pot.
Legalization David Downs — Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 3:20 PM
Former New York governor and attorney general Eliot Spitzer on "Real Time with Bill Maher": "To spend prosecutorial resources on pot is ridiculous... Legalizing pot is the way to go." Pertinent segment starts at 4:22. [via L.E.A.P.]
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Rick Steves: "When alcohol was finally legalized, no one was saying, 'Booze is good.' Rather, they were deciding that the law was bad."
Legalization David Downs — Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Travel writer and Initiative 502 proponent Rick Steves, from "A Behind the Scenes Discussion of Marijuana Legalization":
"The system (as established and maintained by the US) is rigged to prevent change. Drug policies are dictated by the UN. If a country is decertified (which can happen, for example, if it legalizes marijuana), the US Congress is required to vote against them in trade policies (causing an expensive trade war). Another example: Our drug czar is required by our government to vote to keep drugs illegal."
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
TIME Magazine: Legal Pot for Adults Not A Question of 'If,' But 'How'
Legalization David Downs — Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 9:47 AM
"In a few years, the national discussion may well turn from whether to legalize marijuana to how to do it in the most prudent way," writes Yale Law teacher Adam Cohen on Time.com. "In strictly political terms ... fast-growing support and solid majorities among the young, who represent where the electorate is headed ... is a powerful combination. (Support for gay marriage polls similarly — which is why it is becoming law in more states.)"
Friday, February 3, 2012
“Completely Ignoring Our Valid Questions Is Deeply Disrespectful”
Legalization David Downs — Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 12:36 PM
That's from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition spokesperson Stephen Downing's “Silence Says a Lot: An Open Letter to Google About Marijuana Legalization”, after legalization-related questions were omitted from a recent YouTube- and Google Plus-enabled public chat with president Obama:
“Eighteen of the 20 top vote-getting [YouTube] questions were on drug policy; mine was the highest-ranked video question on the entire site and the second-highest vote-getter overall, trailing only a text question about online copyright infringement ...
[But] Google didn't present the president with my question. And your host, Steve Grove, didn't say one word during the entire interview about any of the other popular marijuana and drug policy questions.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Legalization Nation Index: A by-the-numbers collection from 2011 [Part II]
Legalization David Downs — Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 9:23 AM
$302.81: The average price of an ounce of high-quality weed in California (PriceofWeed.com, Dec. 21).
$412.15: The average price of an ounce of high-quality weed in New York (PriceofWeed.com, Dec. 21).
71.5: Percentage of US teens who say cannabis is "fairly/very easy to obtain" (National Institutes of Health).
67: Percentage of Americans who think the "War on Drugs" has been a failure (Angus Reid Public Opinion Poll, August).
50: Percentage of Americans supporting marijuana legalization (Gallup).
1,200: Number of local chapters of the NAACP now working to end the Drug War after the group voted in October to call for the war's end (NAACP).
Handicapping Marijuana Legalization in 2012: California to Win, Place, ... Show?
Legalization David Downs — Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 8:37 AM
Registered voters casting ballots in the fall elections of Colorado, Washington, and perhaps California will have a chance to enact historic cannabis legalization in 2012.
A Colorado group said it will file 155,000 signatures with the state Jan. 6 — enough to qualify the group's recreational cannabis legalization and tax initiative for the November ballot. Similarly, a Washington group said Dec. 29 that it filed at least 355,000 signatures to get on the Washington ballot for November.
In California, groups need to turn in 504,760 verified signatures by mid-April. One California legalization group stated it has 10,000 verified signatures, while two other groups that are circulating petitions don't have any signatures to announce.
Mile-High Times
The libertarian-leaning mountain state of Colorado seems the most promising, with an experienced, well-funded, well-organized group called the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Roundup: New Harold & Kumar; California Medical Association Elaborates on Its Call for Legalization
Legalization David Downs — Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 9:33 AM
Here's your headlines: 1) Wired on the military's complicated relationship with drugs: "From some boozy bonding in the barracks or a few uppers to stay alert on an aerial mission, to scoring psychedelics that pass a urine test or experimenting with rave drugs to alleviate trauma, controlled substances are, for better or for worse, surprisingly ubiquitous in military circles."
2) The California Medical Association chats more about their call to legalize cannabis.
3) Kal Penn talks Obama, How I Met Your Mother, and the new Harold and Kumar with Vulture.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Roundup: White House Responds to 'We The People' Pot Proposal
Legalization David Downs — Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:08 AM
Here's your headlines: 1) You didn't think legalizing weed was going to be that easy, did you?
2) Celebstoner has the rebuttal.
3) Coffeeshop Blue Sky moves three doors down after federal letter.
