Colorado
votes to levy tax on recreational use while cities in Michigan and Maine vote
to decriminalise some possession
theguardian.com,
Amanda Holpuch in New York, Thursday 7 November 2013
One recent poll indicated 58% support for the legalisation of marijuana in the US. Photograph: Anthony Bolante/Reuters |
Campaigners
are hopeful that election wins this week in Maine, Michigan and Colorado will
pave the way for increased marijuana regulation and decriminalization across
the US.
On Tuesday,
the Michigan cities Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing – the capital – voted for
measures that legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by an adult on
private property. Detroit and Flint passed similar measures last year. Voters
in Portland, Maine’s largest city, supported a measure that legalizes
possession of up to 2.5oz of marijuana by adults over 21.
Colorado
voters approved a hefty excise and sales tax on recreational marijuana, a year
after legalizing it.
A recent
Gallup poll indicated that 58% of Americans support the legalization of
marijuana, though some polling experts believe support is not yet in the majority – but will be soon.
“At this
point, a large majority of Americans believe marijuana should be legal and
we’re increasingly seeing voters and state lawmakers pursuing policies that
reflect that,” said Mason Tvert, communications director at the Marijuana
Policy Project, the largest marijuana policy reform group in the US.
“The taxes passed
by Colorado really underscore the benefits of regulating marijuana instead of
leaving it in in the underground market,” said Tvert. “This is the first time
we’ve seen a state adopt a specific tax measure such as this.”
Cities and
states where voters passed ballot measures on Tuesday received majority support
to create tax laws and legalize the drug. Colorado voters approved a hefty
excise and sales tax on recreational marijuana, a year after legalizing it.
“Portland
is the largest city in Maine, so this certainly bodes well for efforts to end
marijuana prohibition entirely in the state and start regulating marijuana like
alcohol,” Tvert said, adding that Denver voters supported a similar measure
just before Colorado legalized marijuana statewide.
It is still
prohibited under federal law to cultivate, distribute or possess marijuana, but
the Obama administration said in August that it will not sue Colorado and
Washington, which also legalized marijuana in 2012. The Justice Department has said it will focus on prosecuting major cases instead of going after state-supported recreational laws and the medical marijuana laws which exist in
18 other states and the District of Columbia.
“The
significance of the latest justice department memo cannot be overstated,” Tvert
said. “Not only did it say federal government would respect state’s rights to
regulate marijuana for adult sales and use, it also suggested that it’s
possible that would be a more effective way of addressing federal interests,
which are to prevent interstate trafficking, to take marijuana out of the hands
of crime and to prevent it from being sold to young people.”
Marijuana
Policy Project's efforts are now focused on getting marijuana legalized in 13
other states in the next few years. Next up is a petition to get a ballot
measure in Alaska’s August 2014 election.
The group
also hopes to get legislation on 2016 election ballots in Maine, Arizona,
California, Nevada, Montana and Massachusetts. In states where citizens cannot
petition for ballot measures, MPP is lobbying legislators in Delaware, Hawaii,
Maryland, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment