Truth Seeker
New Member
Colorado citizens amended their state constitution in 2000 to permit the medical use of marijuana effective June 1, 2001. In 2010 a law was enacted that regulates medical marijuana dispensaries. Last year, marijuana activists asked the Colorado Supreme Court to hear the appeal of a precedent-setting case involving medical marijuana patient Jason Beinor, who was fired from his job for failing a drug test. The Justices, by a 3-2 vote, declined to take up the matter -- a decision the plaintiffs see as devastating for patients' rights, Michael Roberts reported.
Kathleen Chippi and Rico Colibri, who funded the appeal through Cannabis Alliance for Regulation and Education (CARE), issued a joint statement.
Drug addiction is a major public health problem that costs the U.S. billions. The costs are a result of the social and economic consequences including domestic violence, homelessness and lost wages by those addicted. Complicating the economic cost is the criminalization of marijuana and the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders that contributes to an overburdening prison population.
The surge in outlets for legal medical marijuana has not boosted pot use by teens, according to a study by economists at University of Colorado Denver and other colleges.
While support for medical marijuana is at an all-time high, the Department of Justice continues to crack down on dispensaries at the federal level -even after President Obama admitted using pot in his college years.
Although Obama campaigned on, and was elected on, the pledge to end the federal crackdown on cannabis in states that had passed medical marijuana laws, the Justice Department, working in conjunction with the IRS, has actually increased the war on medical marijuana, forcing patients — some of whom have terminal or life-threatening illness — into the black market to buy their medicine.
Backlash against Obama's hypocrisy may well be playing a factor in rising support for legalizing not just medical but recreational marijuana as well. The President can't have his pot and smoke it too.
Democratic pollster Andrew Myers found in a December 2009 survey in Colorado that 45% of Obama "surge voters"–people voting for the first time in 2008–said they would be more interested in turning out again if marijuana legalization were on the ballot. "If you are 18 to 29, it's far and away the most compelling reason to go out and vote," Myers said.
Although the President can't nullify congressional law, he can instruct federal prosecutors to use their discretion in prioritizing their resources when prosecuting more serious crimes.
In the state of Colorado, Obamas chances of winning the election could hinge on a ballot initiative that would legalize up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use. The initiative is a reflection of Colorado's unique blend of laid-back liberalism and anti-regulation conservatism that helped make the state the birthplace of the Libertarian Party. Polls in the state show Obama has up to a 30-point edge over Romney among voters age 30 and under.
Should Obama change his policy on marijuana the way he changed his policy on illegal immigration, it is probable and possible that he will win the election by a wide margin. After all, Colorado is a state where people of different political views see marijuana laws as an example of government needlessly sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Jackie Chazan
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: Legalization of marijuana may win Obama the election - Denver Grassroots Politics | Examiner.com
Kathleen Chippi and Rico Colibri, who funded the appeal through Cannabis Alliance for Regulation and Education (CARE), issued a joint statement.
Drug addiction is a major public health problem that costs the U.S. billions. The costs are a result of the social and economic consequences including domestic violence, homelessness and lost wages by those addicted. Complicating the economic cost is the criminalization of marijuana and the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders that contributes to an overburdening prison population.
The surge in outlets for legal medical marijuana has not boosted pot use by teens, according to a study by economists at University of Colorado Denver and other colleges.
While support for medical marijuana is at an all-time high, the Department of Justice continues to crack down on dispensaries at the federal level -even after President Obama admitted using pot in his college years.
Although Obama campaigned on, and was elected on, the pledge to end the federal crackdown on cannabis in states that had passed medical marijuana laws, the Justice Department, working in conjunction with the IRS, has actually increased the war on medical marijuana, forcing patients — some of whom have terminal or life-threatening illness — into the black market to buy their medicine.
Backlash against Obama's hypocrisy may well be playing a factor in rising support for legalizing not just medical but recreational marijuana as well. The President can't have his pot and smoke it too.
Democratic pollster Andrew Myers found in a December 2009 survey in Colorado that 45% of Obama "surge voters"–people voting for the first time in 2008–said they would be more interested in turning out again if marijuana legalization were on the ballot. "If you are 18 to 29, it's far and away the most compelling reason to go out and vote," Myers said.
Although the President can't nullify congressional law, he can instruct federal prosecutors to use their discretion in prioritizing their resources when prosecuting more serious crimes.
In the state of Colorado, Obamas chances of winning the election could hinge on a ballot initiative that would legalize up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use. The initiative is a reflection of Colorado's unique blend of laid-back liberalism and anti-regulation conservatism that helped make the state the birthplace of the Libertarian Party. Polls in the state show Obama has up to a 30-point edge over Romney among voters age 30 and under.
Should Obama change his policy on marijuana the way he changed his policy on illegal immigration, it is probable and possible that he will win the election by a wide margin. After all, Colorado is a state where people of different political views see marijuana laws as an example of government needlessly sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Jackie Chazan
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: Legalization of marijuana may win Obama the election - Denver Grassroots Politics | Examiner.com
