Several States Considering Legislation To Legalize Adult Cannabis Consumption

Several States Considering Legislation To Legalize Adult Cannabis Consumption

http://norml.org/news/2013/01/31/se...lation-to-legalize-adult-cannabis-consumption

Thursday, 31 January 2013



Washington, DC: Lawmakers in several states are anticipated to debate legislative measures this year that seek to legalize and regulate the adult use and retail distribution of marijuana.

To date, lawmakers in six states - Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont - have either pre-filed or introduced legislation to legalize marijuana consumption for adults.

On Friday, members of Hawaii's House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony regarding House Bill 699, which seeks to tax and regulate the commercial production, sale, and use of cannabis by those persons age 21 or older. House Chairman, Rep. Joseph Souki, is sponsoring the measure. Nearly six out of ten Hawaii voters believe that cannabis should be "taxed, regulated, and legalized for adults," according to a statewide poll published earlier this month. Only 39 percent of respondents opposed the idea. You can read NORML's written testimony to the committee here.

According to a January 2013 New Hampshire poll conducted by the firm Public Policy Polling, 53 percent of respondents favor "changing (state) law to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol." Only 37 percent of respondents opposed the plan.

In Vermont, a 2012 survey of respondents in 148 Vermont cities throughout the state reported that one out of two Vermonters support legalization.

On Election Day, 55 percent of voters in Colorado and Washington approved citizens' ballot initiatives legalizing the adult consumption of marijuana and authorizing the state to license individuals to commercially produce and sell it.

Nationally, nearly six out of ten Americans support legalizing cannabis, according to a just released Public Policy Polling automated telephone survey of 1,325 voters, commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project.

"Calling for an end to marijuana prohibition is no longer a political liability; it is a political opportunity," said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. "Never in modern history has there been greater public support for ending the nation's nearly century-long experiment with cannabis prohibition and replacing it with a system of legalization and regulation. Politicians who are seeking to amend this failed policy are aligning themselves with the majority. Those who do not are siding with an ever decreasing minority of their constituents."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Summaries of these legislative measures and of other marijuana law reform bills are available here: http://www.capwiz.com/norml2/issues/.

Michigan had a push for it this last election year but couldn't get the petition signatures, although a few major cities took the legalization vote and passed, Ypsilanti, Detroit and one more all passed. Ypsilanti / Ann Arbor had already decriminalized, just decided it was time for the full push.

As a resident of one of the six I will be watching this closely. If the Federal Law is abolished, legalization could be a reality this year for many US citizens.

I would love to see this ... the primary reason I don't like to vacation in the US is that I fear prosecution as I don't have legal access to my meds when I'm there (and I sure wouldn't dare travel with them over the border)

I'm amazed PA is on that list - I doubt it will ever pass though. While the state always ends up going to the dems in a presidential race, it is still a largely republican state (hence having the jackass Corbett in office). I doubt the conservatives will let it happen

The conservative cause's are losing momentum every day, it seems.

I'm amazed at the momentum that cannabis legalization is gaining. I believe that most all conservatives, while not wanting this to happen, realize that it will happen.............sooner than later.

Honestly I think a huge boon is we're seeing the same thing happen as was observed in the Netherlands. Crime temporarily went up immediately following legalization, and then it bottoms out. Plus there will be tax benefits once stores are able to be set up next year. Once the "green" starts rolling in we're going to see lots of states fall in line.

I am surprised by PA as well, considering how much control they have over alcohol. Until recently you could only buy beer in cases from a distributor. This seems to be fading as well. They are now talking about privatizing alcohol and selling everything off for the money. If this passes, it may generate enough revenue to keep them from considering cannabis legalization for a while. We shall see.

also this: http://startingpoint.blogs.cnn.com/...-blumenauer-explains-new-bill/?iref=allsearch

Lets hope the majority see things this way.

Seeing that the bills in the various states are not public referendums, (correct me if I'm wrong) but must be passed by the respective legislatures and signed by their Governors, this is going to be a MUCH heavier lift than Colorado or Washington. If this IS the case, I'm not terrifically optimistic. But if the bills are referenda that the public votes on in order to pass them, the chances of them passing are much better.

Here are my bets under both scenarios in order of likelihood of passage:

Bill that requires legislative and Gubernatorial approval for passage:

1. Hawaii: Clearly the frontrunner. Passage is more likely than not.
2. Rhode Island: Passage is more likely than not.
3. Vermont: About 50/50 chance of passage.
4. New Hampshire: Unlikely, but possible.
5. Maine: Very unlikely.
6. Pennsylvania: Not a chance in hell.


Bill that requires popular vote for passage:

1. Hawaii: A shoe in. Would pass easily.
2. Rhode Island: Would very likely be approved.
3. Vermont: More likely to be passed than not.
4. Maine: Unlikely, but it could happen.
5. New Hampshire: Very unlikely.
6. Pennsylvania: No chance for passage at the present time.

I believe these predictions to be on the optimistic side. Realistically, I think that 2 (Hawaii and Rhode Island) or POSSIBLY three (Vermont) of the six states will pass their marijuana legalization bills. Anyone else care to share their predictions?

I believe alot depends on the outcome of the federal law going down or not.

Unfortunately, federal legalization of marijuana is not coming anytime soon. My belief is that as more and more states legalize both medical and recreational use, the federal government will simply not have the resources to enforce the federal law. Eventually, the Feds will be forced to give up and there will be "de facto" federal legalization. "De jure" (by law) federal legalization will eventually follow, but IMO, that's 10-20 years down the line. Sad, but I believe that's a realistic timeline.