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Drug War Chronicle, Issue #114 -- 11/15/20
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/114

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

Please support this newsletter with a recurring or one-time donation: https://stopthedrugwar.org/donate

Table of Contents:

1. A CLEAN SWEEP FOR DRUG REFORM INITIATIVES [FEATURE]
What an election for drug reform! https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/05/clean_sweep_drug_reform

2. OREGON BECOMES FIRST STATE TO DECRIMINALIZE ALL DRUGS, ALLOW FOR
PSILOCYBIN THERAPY
Oregon voters deliver a pair of drug reform firsts. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/oregon_becomes_first_state

3. NEW JERSEY LEGALIZES MARIJUANA
New Jersey becomes the 12th state to legalize marijuana. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/03/new_jersey_legalizes_marijuana

4. ARIZONA LEGALIZES MARIJUANA
Arizona becomes the second state to legalize weed tonight. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/arizona_legalizes_marijuana

5. DEEP RED STATES MONTANA AND SOUTH DAKOTA BOTH LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
It wasn't just blue states that legalized marijuana on Election Day. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/deep_red_states_montana_and_0

6. CALIFORNIA EFFORT TO ROLL BACK SENTENCING REFORMS DEFEATED ON
ELECTION DAY
California just said no to rolling back earlier sentencing reforms. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/california_effort_roll_back

7. MISSISSIPPI, SOUTH DAKOTA APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Add two more medical marijuana states. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/mississippi_south_dakota_approve

8. WASHINGTON, DC, APPROVES NATURAL ENTHEOGEN INITIATIVE
Voters in the nation's capital have overwhelmingly approved a lowest
priority initiative for natural psychedelics. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/04/washington_dc_approves_natural

9. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
Our law enforcement rogues' gallery this week yields an embarrassment of riches. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/11/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

10. PA BILL SAYS MEDWORKERS COMP NOT REQUIRED, CUOMO SAYS LEGALIZE NOW,
MORE... (11/5/20)
New Jersey's vote to legalize marijuana is turning up the heat on nearby governors, Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers move to let employers and insurers
off the hook for paying for medical marijuana under workers'
compensation claims, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/05/pa_bill_says_medworkers_comp_not

11. OPIOID SETTLEMENT LOOMS, NJ LEGISLATURE MOVES ON VOTER-AUTHORIZED MJ LEGALIZATION, MORE... (11/6/20)
State elected officials react in different ways to marijuana
legalization votes, a major settlement looms over prescription opioids,
and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/06/opioid_settlement_looms_nj

12. GALLUP POLL HAS SUPPORT FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AT ALL-TIME HIGH
OF 68%, MORE... (11/9/20)
Support for marijuana legalization hits an all-time high in the latest
Gallup poll, New Jersey lawmakers take up an interim marijuana decriminalization bill, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/09/gallup_poll_has_support

13. HOUSE TO VOTE ON LEGALIZATION BILL NEXT MONTH, SF PSYCHEDELIC REFORM
PUSH, MORE... (11/20/20)
No more pot prosecutions in Phoenix, a new marijuana legalization bill
in Texas, a push for psychedelic reform in San Francisco, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/10/house_vote_legalization_bill

14. CA PSYCHEDELIC DECRIM BILL COMING, BRITISH HEROIN-ASSISTED TREATMENT
PILOT GETS RESULTS, MORE... (11/11/20)
The odor of pot will no longer be the sole grounds for police searches
in Virginia after March 1, a bid to legalize marijuana in Colombia has
failed, but another remains alive, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/11/ca_psychedelic_decrim_bill

15. LONGEST-SERVING MJ PRISONER TO BE FREED, BOSTON MUST PAY COPS FIRED
OVER BAD DRUG TESTS, MORE... (11/12/20)
New Jersey politicians are squabbling -- again -- over how to tax legal marijuana, Tucson joins Phoenix in walking away from marijuana
prosecutions, the Mexican Senate moves toward a vote on marijuana
legalization, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/12/longestserving_mj_prisoner_be

16. POLL FINDS LITTLE SUPPORT FOR ASSET FORFEITURE, ARGENTINA OKAYS
MEDMJ HOME GROWING, MORE... (11/13/20)
State legal marijuana regulators form an association, a New Jersey
marijuana decrim bill is amended to include magic mushrooms and wins a committee vote, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/13/poll_finds_little_support_asset

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================

1. A CLEAN SWEEP FOR DRUG REFORM INITIATIVES [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/nov/05/clean_sweep_drug_reform

The day after Election Day, national election results remained muddy,
but one thing was crystal clear: the American public is ready for drug
reform. Drug reform initiatives went nine for nine on Tuesday. With
successful marijuana legalization initiatives in two of the reddest of
the red states to a groundbreaking drug decriminalization initiative and
the first voter-approved psychedelic liberalization initiatives, we can
see the erosion of drug prohibition happening right before our eyes.

Perhaps the most striking victory of all is Oregon's Measure 110 (http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2020/044text.pdf), which will decriminalize
the possession of personal use amounts of all drugs and use revenues
from legal marijuana sales to help fund expanded drug treatment. People
caught with drugs can either pay a $100 fine or complete a health
assessment. Distribution of such drugs would remain criminalized.

The notion of not arresting people just for having or using "hard" drugs
is a radical one in the United States, but increasingly common in the
rest of the world. At least 29 countries (https://www.talkingdrugs.org/decriminalisation) have embraced some form
of drug decriminalization, and even the US has seen marijuana possession decriminalized in a number of states. But not cocaine or heroin or meth
or LSD. Or not until Tuesday, when more than 58% (https://results.oregonvotes.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=SMEA&map=CTY) of
Oregon voters said let's try something new.

"Today's victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to
stop criminalizing people for drug use," said Kassandra Frederique,
executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, in an email message on
Tuesday evening. "Measure 110 is arguably the biggest blow to the war on
drugs to date. It shifts the focus where it belongs -- on people and
public health -- and removes one of the most common justifications for
law enforcement to harass, arrest, prosecute, incarcerate, and deport
people. As we saw with the domino effect of marijuana legalization, we
expect this victory to inspire other states to enact their own drug decriminalization policies that prioritize health over punishment."

Drug Policy Alliance and its lobbying arm, Drug Policy Action Network, spearheaded the Measure 110 campaign, just as they backed the state's successful 2014 marijuana legalization initiative.

And speaking of marijuana legalization, the weed swept to victory
everywhere it was on the ballot -- in Arizona and New Jersey but also in
deeply conservative Montana and South Dakota. That means the number of
states that have freed the weed jumped from 11 to 15.

"From the Badlands to the Jersey Shore, and from the Grand Canyon to Big
Sky Country, Americans across the country have embraced the idea that
marijuana legalization is the policy decision that best serves the
interests of public health, public safety, and, most importantly,
justice," Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy
Project and one of the leaders of the Montana and South Dakota
campaigns, said in a Wednesday email.

In Arizona, the marijuana legalization initiative, Proposition 207: The
Smart & Safe Arizona Act (https://smartandsafeaz.com), cruised to
victory Tuesday night with 60 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-arizona.html)
of the vote. It will legalize marijuana for people 21 and over and allow
for home grows of up to six plants. The state will regulate a legal
marijuana market with a 16% tax on retail sales.

"Arizona voters have spoken, and they are ready for marijuana
legalization," said Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana
Policy Project, in a Tuesday night email. "According to the latest
Gallup poll, 66% of Americans support marijuana legalization, and this
victory further reinforces that stance," Hawkins added. "We are poised
for major marijuana reform federally. Regardless of who controls the
White House, the House, or the Senate, Americans are ready for legal marijuana."

In Montana, Constitutional Initiative 118 (https://sosmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/CI-118.pdf) and Initiative 190 (https://sosmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/I-190.pdf) won with 58 percent and
57 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-montana.html)
of the vote, respectively. I-190 is a statutory initiative that would
legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over. CI-118 is
a constitutional initiative that would allow I-190 to set the minimum
age at 21, as is the age for alcohol consumption in the state.

In New Jersey, Public Question 1 (https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_Public_Question_1,_Marijuana_Legalization_Amendment_(2020))
is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that legalizes
marijuana for people 21 and over and allows for system of regulated to
the state sales tax of 6.625%. It leaves questions such as possession
limits and whether to allow home grows up the legislature and state
regulators. It won with a resounding 67 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-new-jersey.html)
of the vote.

In South Dakota, Constitutional Amendment A (https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Constitutional_Amendment_A,_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2020))
won 54 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-south-dakota.html)
of the vote in a state where more than 60 percent voted for Donald
Trump. The measure will legalize the possession of up to an ounce of
marijuana by people 21 and over and allow for the home cultivation of up
to three plants in jurisdictions with no retail marijuana outlets. It
also envisions a legal marijuana market with a sales tax of 15% and
requires the state legislature to pass laws providing for medical
marijuana and hemp by next spring.

"This historic set of victories will place even greater pressure on
Congress to address the glaring and untenable conflicts between state
and federal laws when it comes to cannabis legalization," said Hawkins.
"With the passage of these initiatives, one-third of the population now
lives in jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis for adult use, and
70% of all states have embraced cannabis for medical use."

And speaking of cannabis for medical use, two deep red states,
Mississippi and South Dakota both approved medical marijuana initiatives
on Tuesday night. Mississippi's Initiative 65 (https://www.sos.ms.gov/elections/initiatives/InitiativeInfo.aspx?IId=65) overcome
a watered down legislative alternative to win with 74 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-mississippi.html)
of the vote, while South Dakota's Measure 26 (https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Initiated_Measure_26,_Medical_Marijuana_Initiative_(2020))
won with 70 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-south-dakota.html).
That brings the number of states with access to medical marijuana to 38.

And then, there's the psychedelic front. On the East Coast, Washington,
DC, voters approved Initiative 81
(https://decrimnaturedc.org/initiative-81/), the Entheogenic Plant and
Fungi Policy Act of 2020, with 74 percent (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-district-of-columbia.html)
of the vote. The measure will have police treat natural plant medicines (entheogens) as their lowest law enforcement priority. The measure also
asks the city's top prosecutor and its US Attorney to not prosecute such
cases.

"Initiative 81's success was driven by grassroots support from DC
voters. We are thrilled that DC residents voted to support common sense
drug policy reforms that help end part of the war on drugs while
ensuring that DC residents benefiting from plant and fungi medicines are
not police targets," Decriminalize Nature DC Chairwoman Melissa Lavasani
said in a press release.

And on the West Coast, Oregon voters didn't just decriminalize drugs,
they also passed Measure 109
(http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2020/034text.pdf), the Psilocybin Services
Act, with 56 percent of the vote. It will create a program to allow the administration of psilocybin products, such as magic mushrooms, to
adults 21 and over for therapeutic purposes. People will be allowed to
buy, possess, and consume psilocybin at a psilocybin services center,
but only after undergoing a preparation session and under the
supervision of a psilocybin service facilitator.

Altogether, a stellar night for drug reform at the ballot box. Marijuana legalization continues its inexorable advance across the land, and new
fronts are now open on psychedelics and broader drug decriminalization.
A few more bricks fell from the wall of drug prohibition this Election Day.

================ ...
___________________

It's time to correct the mistake:
Truth:the Anti-drugwar
<http://www.briancbennett.com>

Cops say legalize drugs--find out why:
<http://www.leap.cc>
Stoners are people too:
<http://www.cannabisconsumers.org>
___________________

bliss -- Cacao Powered... (-SF4ever at DSLExtreme dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the beans of cacao that the thoughts acquire speed,
the thighs acquire girth, the girth become a warning.
It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
--from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.

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