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The420Guy
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The movement to relax the country's marijuana laws abruptly lost its buzz Tuesday.
With several pro-marijuana state ballot initiatives going down to defeat, pot advocates can't help but wonder if the United States will ever relax its rules on dope.
"I'm not going to try and dress up a pig," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that was behind pot proposals in Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere. "This is pretty disappointing."
Though Canada and several European countries have liberalized their marijuana laws, Americans showed Tuesday that they aren't willing to follow suit:
> In Nevada, 61 percent of voters opposed a proposal that would have allowed anyone to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.
> In Arizona, 57 percent killed a plan that would have made state law enforcement the broker for medicinal marijuana.
> In Ohio, 67 percent opposed a proposal that would have allowed nonviolent drug offenders to seek treatment instead of serve jail time.
Pot proponents did have one minor victory. In San Francisco, voters approved a proposition that directs the city to explore growing and distributing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The Nevada referendum marked the fourth time a broad marijuana initiative has failed at the polls. In 1972, Californians overwhelmingly voted down a proposition that would have allowed them to grow and possess small amounts of pot. Voters in Oregon and Alaska defeated pro-pot proposals in 1986 and 2000, respectively.
Those votes showed changes won't come easily on the state level. And after the big Republican wins Tuesday night, few think any attempt to revamp marijuana laws on a national level stands a chance.
"These failed initiatives represent the high-water mark of the drug legalization movement," John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy said in a statement. "Common sense has prevailed."
Kampia said his group --- which has the backing of corporate financier George Soros --- will focus on pushing medical marijuana initiatives in selected states. Currently, eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Scores of other referendums were decided Tuesday:
> Animal welfare: Florida banned the caging of pregnant sows, a move aimed at industrial-style hog farms. Oklahoma banned cockfighting, leaving only Louisiana and New Mexico as states permitting the blood sport. Georgia approved the sale of a special license plate to fund spay-neuter programs. Arizona defeated a measure to support greyhound tracks by allowing them to host other forms of gambling.
> Education: Over Gov. Jeb Bush's objections, Florida approved a measure to use state funds to cut class sizes. Florida also approved a free pre-k program. Massachusetts passed, while Colorado defeated, plans to replace bilingual education with English-immersion programs. California approved an Arnold Schwarzenegger-touted measure to spend $550 million on after-school programs.
> Food: Oregon defeated a measure to require labeling of genetically altered food. Berkeley, Calif., turned down a measure to require restaurants to serve shade-grown, organic coffee.
> Government: Los Angeles defeated a move to permit Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley to secede from the city. California and Colorado defeated measures to join six other states in allowing Election Day voter registration. Georgia approved a measure prohibiting people with unpaid taxes from holding public office. Oregon removed racist language from its constitution.
> Health: Florida approved a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, including restaurants. Oregon defeated a measure to provide universal health insurance, which critics had said was too expensive.
> Lotteries: North Dakota and Tennessee approved state lotteries, leaving just 10 states without them.
> Taxes: Voters in Washington state and parts of Virginia turned down new taxes to fund transportation. Miami, however, approved a half-cent sales tax for transit. Massachusetts rejected a measure to eliminate the state income tax, and Arkansas defeated a measure to remove taxes on food and medicine.
Pubdate: Thu, 07 Nov 2002
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2002 Cox Interactive Media.
Contact: conedit@ajc.com
Website: AJC.com: Atlanta Georgia News, AJC Sports, Atlanta Weather
With several pro-marijuana state ballot initiatives going down to defeat, pot advocates can't help but wonder if the United States will ever relax its rules on dope.
"I'm not going to try and dress up a pig," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that was behind pot proposals in Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere. "This is pretty disappointing."
Though Canada and several European countries have liberalized their marijuana laws, Americans showed Tuesday that they aren't willing to follow suit:
> In Nevada, 61 percent of voters opposed a proposal that would have allowed anyone to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.
> In Arizona, 57 percent killed a plan that would have made state law enforcement the broker for medicinal marijuana.
> In Ohio, 67 percent opposed a proposal that would have allowed nonviolent drug offenders to seek treatment instead of serve jail time.
Pot proponents did have one minor victory. In San Francisco, voters approved a proposition that directs the city to explore growing and distributing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The Nevada referendum marked the fourth time a broad marijuana initiative has failed at the polls. In 1972, Californians overwhelmingly voted down a proposition that would have allowed them to grow and possess small amounts of pot. Voters in Oregon and Alaska defeated pro-pot proposals in 1986 and 2000, respectively.
Those votes showed changes won't come easily on the state level. And after the big Republican wins Tuesday night, few think any attempt to revamp marijuana laws on a national level stands a chance.
"These failed initiatives represent the high-water mark of the drug legalization movement," John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy said in a statement. "Common sense has prevailed."
Kampia said his group --- which has the backing of corporate financier George Soros --- will focus on pushing medical marijuana initiatives in selected states. Currently, eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Scores of other referendums were decided Tuesday:
> Animal welfare: Florida banned the caging of pregnant sows, a move aimed at industrial-style hog farms. Oklahoma banned cockfighting, leaving only Louisiana and New Mexico as states permitting the blood sport. Georgia approved the sale of a special license plate to fund spay-neuter programs. Arizona defeated a measure to support greyhound tracks by allowing them to host other forms of gambling.
> Education: Over Gov. Jeb Bush's objections, Florida approved a measure to use state funds to cut class sizes. Florida also approved a free pre-k program. Massachusetts passed, while Colorado defeated, plans to replace bilingual education with English-immersion programs. California approved an Arnold Schwarzenegger-touted measure to spend $550 million on after-school programs.
> Food: Oregon defeated a measure to require labeling of genetically altered food. Berkeley, Calif., turned down a measure to require restaurants to serve shade-grown, organic coffee.
> Government: Los Angeles defeated a move to permit Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley to secede from the city. California and Colorado defeated measures to join six other states in allowing Election Day voter registration. Georgia approved a measure prohibiting people with unpaid taxes from holding public office. Oregon removed racist language from its constitution.
> Health: Florida approved a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, including restaurants. Oregon defeated a measure to provide universal health insurance, which critics had said was too expensive.
> Lotteries: North Dakota and Tennessee approved state lotteries, leaving just 10 states without them.
> Taxes: Voters in Washington state and parts of Virginia turned down new taxes to fund transportation. Miami, however, approved a half-cent sales tax for transit. Massachusetts rejected a measure to eliminate the state income tax, and Arkansas defeated a measure to remove taxes on food and medicine.
Pubdate: Thu, 07 Nov 2002
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2002 Cox Interactive Media.
Contact: conedit@ajc.com
Website: AJC.com: Atlanta Georgia News, AJC Sports, Atlanta Weather
