• Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1042 -- 11/1/18 - Table of Contents with liv

    From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to All on Thu Nov 1 21:25:35 2018
    XPost: alt.drugs.psychedelics, alt.drugs.pot, alt.hemp.politics

    Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1042 -- 11/1/18
    Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1042

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

    Table of Contents:

    1. MARIJUANA MIDTERMS: THE PROSPECTS FOR STATE-LEVEL LEGALIZATION AND
    MEDICAL MARIJUANA [FEATURE]
    Less than two weeks out, a couple of these races are turning into
    nailbiters. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/29/marijuana_midterms_prospects

    2. THERE IS AN "ELEGANT WAY" TO END GLOBAL PROHIBITION AGREEMENTS
    Inter se agreements acknowledge global treaty provisions while crafting
    new agreements holding among participating member states. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/29/there_elegant_way_end_global

    3. MEDICAL MARIJUANA UPDATE
    It's been a whipsaw week for Michigan's unlicensed dispensaries,
    Oklahoma sees its first legal medical marijuana sales, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/31/medical_marijuana_update

    4. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
    A Border Patrol agent gets in trouble, and so do a crooked trio of Miami
    cops. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/31/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

    5. CHRONICLE AM: FDA GRANTS "BREAKTHROUGH THERAPY" STATUS FOR
    PSILOCYBIN, MI POT POLL, MORE... (10/29/18)
    The Michigan marijuana initiative still has a healthy lead as Election
    Day nears, the FDA has granted "breakthrough therapy" status for
    psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/29/chronicle_am_fda_grants

    6. CHRONICLE AM: BRAZIL'S NEW LEADER IS BAD NEWS ON DRUG POLICY, CO LEGALIZATION FACES RICO SUIT, MORE... (10/30/18)
    A lawsuit using federal RICO statutes to challenge Colorado's legal pot
    law got underway today, North Dakota medical marijuana patients and
    caregivers can now apply to the registry, Brazil's president-elect is a
    giant step backward on drug policy, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/30/chronicle_am_brazils_new_leader

    7. CHRONICLE AM: NJ MJ POLL SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT, IN FORFEITURE CASE
    GOES TO SUPREME COURT, MORE... (10/31/18)
    A new poll has support for marijuana legalization in New Jersey at 58%,
    Kansas gubernatorial candidates debate marijuana policy, truck drivers
    will face hair drug testing one of these years, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/31/chronicle_am_nj_mj_poll_shows

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

    1. MARIJUANA MIDTERMS: THE PROSPECTS FOR STATE-LEVEL LEGALIZATION AND
    MEDICAL MARIJUANA [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/oct/29/marijuana_midterms_prospects

    With less than two weeks to go to Election Day, its looking like a mixed picture for state-level marijuana policy initiatives. There are two
    states -- Michigan and North Dakota -- with marijuana legalization on
    the ballot and there are two more states -- Michigan and Utah -- with
    medical marijuana initiatives on the ballot.

    It's possible that all four will pass, but it's looking more likely in
    Michigan and Missouri than in North Dakota and Utah. In North Dakota, well-funded opposition may drown out the legalization message, while in
    Utah, late maneuvering by the Mormon church and state political leaders
    is undercutting support from what had previously appeared to be a
    measure cruising toward victory.

    Here's a quick recap of the initiatives and their prospects:

    Michigan

    Michigan is poised to become marijuana legalization's Midwest breakout
    state. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (https://www.regulatemi.org/initiative/) has qualified a marijuana
    legalization initiative, Proposal 1 (https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Petition_-_Coalition_to_Regulate_Marijuana_Like_Alcohol_572185_7.pdf),
    for the November ballot.

    The measure would legalize the possession up to 2.5 ounces of pot for
    personal use and up to 10 ounces at home, as well as allowing for the
    personal cultivation of up to 12 plants and the fruits of that harvest.
    It also creates a system of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce, with
    a 10 percent excise tax at the retail level in addition to the 6 percent
    sales tax. The measure would give cities and counties the option of
    allowing pot businesses or not.

    The initiative looks well-positioned to win in November. It had been
    holding steady at 61 percent support as late as May (http://www.michiganradio.org/post/survey-most-michigan-voters-want-recreational-pot-legalized),
    the kind of polling numbers initiative and referendum experts like to
    see at the beginning of the campaign because they suggest that even with
    the inevitable erosion of support in the face of opposition attacks, the measure still has a big enough cushion to pull off a victory.

    Support had indeed declined in the final weeks of the campaign as
    limited opposition finally emerged, but a September Detroit Free Press
    poll (https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/28/poll-legal-marijuana-easier-voting-michigan/1446391002/)
    still has it winning with 55 percent of the vote and only three percent undecided and a September Detroit News poll (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/09/11/michigan-poll-marijuana-legalization-redistricting-commission/1267142002/)
    had it winning with 56 percent.

    Missouri

    Missouri voters will be able to choose from not one, not two, but three separate medical marijuana measures when they go to the polls in
    November. Two are constitutional amendments; one is a statutory
    initiative that could more easily be modified by the legislature.

    Amendment 2 (https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/Petitions/2018-051.pdf),
    sponsored by New Approach Missouri (http://www.newapproachmissouri.com),
    would allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis for any condition they
    see fit. Registered patients and caregivers would be allowed to grow up
    to six marijuana plants and purchase up to four ounces from dispensaries
    per month. Medical cannabis sales at dispensaries would be taxed at 4
    percent.

    Amendment 3 (https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/Petitions/2018-041.pdf),
    sponsored by Find the Cures (https://www.findthecures.com), would let
    doctors recommend medical marijuana to patients who have any of a
    specific list of qualifying conditions (while regulators would be able
    to add more conditions in the future). The retail sales tax on medical marijuana would be set at the much higher rate of 15 percent. Funds
    would be used to support research with the aim of developing cures and treatments for cancer and other diseases.

    Proposition C (https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/Petitions/2018-271.pdf),
    backed by Missourians for Patient Care
    (http://www.missouripetition.com), also outlines a list of specific
    conditions that would qualify patients to legally use medical cannabis.
    Sales would be taxed at 2 percent.

    An August poll (https://www.kshb.com/news/political/new-poll-shows-mccaskill-hawley-tied-in-us-senate-race)
    conducted by TJP strategies had support for amending the state
    constitution to allow medical marijuana at 54 percent.

    That there are three separate measures on the ballot could lead to some confusion. If multiple ballot measures on the same topic pass, the one
    with the most votes generally prevails. But because in this case two of
    the measures are constitutional amendments and one is a statutory
    measure, if the statutory measure gets more votes than either of the amendments, but at least one of them passes, it could be up to the
    state's court system to figure out which goes into effect.

    While there is nothing stopping voters from voting "yes" on all three
    measures, there are also concerns that the multiplicity of options could
    result in splitting the pro-medical marijuana vote, with some voting
    "yes" on only one measure and "no" on the others. In this election, when
    it comes to medical marijuana, Missouri may have too much of a good thing.

    There has been no more recent polling, but with 93% of the nation
    backing medical cannabis (https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/05/06/10-things-we-learned-from-this-new-marijuana-poll.aspx)
    in an April 2018 Quinnipiac University poll, it's likely that Missouri
    isn't going to buck the trend. The fundraising also points toward a
    successful campaign (https://www.marijuanamoment.net/missouri-campaign-finance-records-show-medical-marijuana-ballot-battle-heating-up/).
    Both New Approach Missouri and Find the Cure have raised more than a
    million dollars over the course of the campaign and both still have tens
    of thousands of dollars banked for the final push. The only ballot
    committee opposed to both campaigns, Citizens for Safe Medicine, was
    just registered last month and has reported no donations or expenditures.

    North Dakota

    This year, a grassroots group, Legalize ND (https://legalizend.com),
    managed to get enough signatures to get Measure 3 (https://vip.sos.nd.gov/pdfs/Measures%20Info/Petitions%20Being%20Circulated/Legalization%20of%20Marijuana.pdf),
    the Marijuana Legalization and Automatic Expungement initiative, on the November ballot.

    This is a radical initiative. It would legalize all forms of marijuana
    for adults by removing marijuana, THC, and hashish from the state's
    controlled substance schedules, and it sets no limits on the amount of marijuana people could possess or how many plants they grow. It also
    provides for the automatic expungement of criminal convictions for
    anyone convicted of a marijuana-related crime that would be legal under
    the measure.

    And it does not create a framework for regulated marijuana sales, nor
    does it set any taxes. Creating a system of taxed and regulated
    marijuana commerce would be up to the state legislature.

    Legalize ND faces the toughest odds. While a June poll (https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/poll-plurality-of-north-dakotans-support-legalizing-recreational-marijuana/),
    commissioned by Legalize ND and conducted by the Florida-based Kitchen
    Group, had the initiative winning 46 percent to 39 percent, with 15
    percent undecided and a poll this month (http://grandforksherald.com/news/government-and-politics/4516967-legalize-nd-poll-shows-51-percent-favor-recreational-marijuana),
    also commissioned by Legalize ND had it winning with 51 percent to 36
    percent, two other recent polls (http://grandforksherald.com/news/government-and-politics/4516967-legalize-nd-poll-shows-51-percent-favor-recreational-marijuana)
    have support at under 40 percent.

    It also faces the toughest organized opposition, which is heavily out-fundraising it (https://www.marijuanamoment.net/north-dakotas-marijuana-legalization-supporters-outraised-by-opponents-filings-show/).
    While Legalize ND has raised less than $30,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, the national anti-marijuana lobbying group Smart
    Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has provided 100 percent of the
    contributions to Healthy and Productive North Dakota, an amount totaling
    more than $156,000.

    A separate anti-initiative committee, North Dakotans Against the
    Legalization of Recreational Marijuana, which represents business groups
    and is headed by the director of government affairs for the state
    Chamber of Commerce, has raised $86,000. If Legalize ND can pull off a
    victory, it will be sweet, indeed, but it's looking like an uphill battle.

    Utah

    Sponsored by the Utah Patients Coalition (https://www.utahpatients.org),
    the medical marijuana statutory initiative, Proposition 2 (https://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/2018%20Election/Initiatives/Addendum%20Application%208.3.2017.pdf),
    has qualified for the November ballot. The bottom-up effort comes after
    the state legislature has refused to advance meaningful medical
    marijuana legislation.

    Under the measure, people who suffer from one of a list of designated qualifying medical conditions could receive a medical marijuana card
    with a physician's recommendation. That would entitle them to possess up
    to two ounces of marijuana or any amount of a marijuana product with up
    to 10 grams of THC. Patients could not grow their own unless they live
    more than 100 miles from a dispensary. And the patients cannot smoke
    marijuana.

    A Utah Policy poll released in September had support for the measure at
    64 percent, with even Mormons generally breaking with the church
    leadership on the issue. But after that poll was released, state
    political leaders, advocates, and the Mormon church announced they'd
    agreed on a medical marijuana plan that lawmakers would consider in a
    November special session. That has, to some degree, cut the legs out
    from under the initiative.

    A Salt Lake Tribune poll (https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/10/16/new-poll-finds-approval/) released last week had support dropping to only 51 percent, with 46
    percent opposed. What looked like a cakewalk just a few weeks ago has
    turned into a nailbiter.

    There you have it. Marijuana could go four for four this year, but it's
    not at all at da one deal, and we may end up having to settle for only
    three or maybe even two out of four. Going only 50-50 on marijuana
    initiatives would be the worst performance of the modern era. Let's hope
    2018 doesn't earn that distinction.



    ================  ...

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