Christine Green
New Member
American voters are more unified over medical marijuana than gun control, immigration and taxes, yet presidential candidates keep blowing smoke.
Nearly 90% of Americans — 81% of Republicans and 94% of Democrats — support the legal use of medical marijuana, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of 1,500 voters released on Monday. For comparison, 55% of Americans think laws governing the sale of firearms should be more strict, 34% believe immigration to the U.S. should be decreased and 57% say their taxes are too high, according to the most recent Gallup polls.
Despite the strong polling numbers, medical marijuana legalization rarely comes up in the general election as candidates have more control over the conversation with fewer challengers, says Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a nonprofit organization.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who has won enough delegates to clinch the party’s nomination, has continued to hold the position that legalizing states are “laboratories” but further research is necessary for widespread legalization. Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican party, has yet to solidify his policy stance on legalization, but in a February interview with Bill O’Reilly, he said he was in favor of medical marijuana and as for overall legalization, “in some ways it’s good, and in other ways, it’s bad.”
Both the Clinton and Trump campaigns didn't respond to requests for comment.
Clinton and Trump may be forced to talk about marijuana, however, if Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who is also the former chief executive of marijuana company Cannabis Sativa Inc., is allowed to debate in the general election, St. Pierre says. “If he is on stage, he is going to bring up the need to legalize marijuana in the United States,” St. Pierre says. Johnson was polling at 10% in a recent survey by Morning Consult and needs to average 15% to be allowed in the debates.
Along with the presidential election, a number of states, including Florida, Maine and Nevada, will also be deciding on the legalization of medical or recreational marijuana through ballot initiatives in November. The prevalence of cannabis on state ballots could help attract voters who don’t strongly support any of the presidential candidates to the voting booths, St. Pierre says. “[Marijuana] should be a motivating influencer, particularly for youngish voters, who would otherwise not be inclined to come out,” he says.
Support for medical marijuana legalization could be a useful strategy for either candidate should the race become close, St. Pierre says, though using marijuana reform organizations as a way to mobilize new voters may not happen for another four or eight years.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana is an issue Trump and Clinton voters agree on - MarketWatch
Author: Kathleen Burke
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Nearly 90% of Americans — 81% of Republicans and 94% of Democrats — support the legal use of medical marijuana, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of 1,500 voters released on Monday. For comparison, 55% of Americans think laws governing the sale of firearms should be more strict, 34% believe immigration to the U.S. should be decreased and 57% say their taxes are too high, according to the most recent Gallup polls.
Despite the strong polling numbers, medical marijuana legalization rarely comes up in the general election as candidates have more control over the conversation with fewer challengers, says Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a nonprofit organization.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who has won enough delegates to clinch the party’s nomination, has continued to hold the position that legalizing states are “laboratories” but further research is necessary for widespread legalization. Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican party, has yet to solidify his policy stance on legalization, but in a February interview with Bill O’Reilly, he said he was in favor of medical marijuana and as for overall legalization, “in some ways it’s good, and in other ways, it’s bad.”
Both the Clinton and Trump campaigns didn't respond to requests for comment.
Clinton and Trump may be forced to talk about marijuana, however, if Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who is also the former chief executive of marijuana company Cannabis Sativa Inc., is allowed to debate in the general election, St. Pierre says. “If he is on stage, he is going to bring up the need to legalize marijuana in the United States,” St. Pierre says. Johnson was polling at 10% in a recent survey by Morning Consult and needs to average 15% to be allowed in the debates.
Along with the presidential election, a number of states, including Florida, Maine and Nevada, will also be deciding on the legalization of medical or recreational marijuana through ballot initiatives in November. The prevalence of cannabis on state ballots could help attract voters who don’t strongly support any of the presidential candidates to the voting booths, St. Pierre says. “[Marijuana] should be a motivating influencer, particularly for youngish voters, who would otherwise not be inclined to come out,” he says.
Support for medical marijuana legalization could be a useful strategy for either candidate should the race become close, St. Pierre says, though using marijuana reform organizations as a way to mobilize new voters may not happen for another four or eight years.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana is an issue Trump and Clinton voters agree on - MarketWatch
Author: Kathleen Burke
Contact: MarketWatch Feedback
Photo Credit: Christine Green
Website: MarketWatch: Stock Market News - Financial News
