Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Trenton - This vicious, epic presidential race won't be the only reason voter turnout is expected to be massive on Nov. 8. Legalizing recreational marijuana is on the ballot in five states.
And unlike Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, whom pollsters say are the most unpopular major party presidential candidates in modern history, marijuana's approval ratings have never been better. Marijuana legalization is favored by 60 percent of the country, according to an Oct. 19 Gallup poll.
If the ballot questions pass in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, nearly 25 percent of the country's population will live in a state where the sale and possession of marijuana will be permitted under state law, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a national pro-legalization advocacy group.
Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington D.C. have already legalized recreational pot.
Could New Jersey be far behind?
People in the Garden State who favor legalization say the more states pass these ballot initiatives, the closer New Jersey comes to joining them.
"No matter how your slice it, if they pass it's a good thing for New Jersey," said Bill Caruso, a steering committee member of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, a group of religious, civil rights, law enforcement and medical leaders who champion legalization for social justice reasons. "The inevitability argument is the best ones going for us."
Pro-legal pot supporters are tackling it differently in New Jersey. They want to enact a law rather than asking for voter support.
Using the legislative approach gives lawmakers and policy makers more control over how they want the market regulated, said Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who will introduce a pot legalization bill before the end of the year. Making changes to the law requires states like Colorado to go back to the voters for permission, he said.
"That's the one problem i hear from the Colorado regulators," said Scutari, who has made two trips to Colorado this year to observe the impact legal pot has had on government, the economy and crime. "They have less opportunity to work within the regulations to make sure it works well. We can work the kinks out."
Scutari said he knows there is much more work to do to build support for legalizing weed among his legislative colleagues, But between a trip he led to Denver and Boulder last month and the publicity around the election, he said the momentum is growing.
"The more states that legalize it, the more legislators will say what are we waiting for?" Scutari said. The only downside? New Jersey "won't be ahead of the game" on the east coast if Massachusetts legalizes marijuana first.
A study by New Jersey Policy Perspective and New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform estimate the state eventually could reap $300 million in tax revenue if if the 356,000 people who use it illegally every month buy it on the legal market.
Support has been building across the country for legalization as people "see successes in the states where they have it," Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Morgan Fox said.
More young people participate in presidential elections, a demographic largely supports legal weed, he said.
"They see it as an idea whose time has come — moving it away from the criminal (market) and into the hands of people creating jobs," Fox said.
Pro-pot supporters are also better funded this time than in previous election years. In addition to the people who work in the marijuana industry opening their wallets, former Facebook president Sean Parker and his affiliates have spent $8.6 million to help Proposition 64 pass in California, according to Ballotpedia.
California supporters have outspent opponents $22 million to $2 million, according to the Ballotpedia website.
The single most generous marijuana foe has been casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who has contributed $1 million to defeat the measure in Massachusetts and $2 million in Nevada.
Other opponents include executives from the pharmaceutical and alcohol distribution industries and some, but not all law enforcement organizations, Fox said. Elected officials, such as U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and religious leaders in Massachusetts have united against legalization.
Polls in all five states show more support for legalizing recreational marijuana than opposition, although not all by wide margins.
In Nevada, for instance, 47 percent said they were voting yes, 43 percent said no and 11 percent were undecided as of mid-October. In Massachusetts, 49 percent said they would vote yes, 42.4 percent said no and 8 percent was undecided.
Support was greatest in California, where 55 percent said they were voting yes, 38 percent said no and 6 percent were undecided.
Four other states — Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Oklahoma — will also decide whether marijuana should be available as medicine. New Jersey is one of 25 states plus the District of Columbia, where medical marijuana is permitted.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Why This Election Could Help Pave Way For Legal Marijuana In N.J.
Author: Susan K. Livio
Contact:nj.com
Photo Credit: Brennan Linsley
Website: nj.com
And unlike Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, whom pollsters say are the most unpopular major party presidential candidates in modern history, marijuana's approval ratings have never been better. Marijuana legalization is favored by 60 percent of the country, according to an Oct. 19 Gallup poll.
If the ballot questions pass in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, nearly 25 percent of the country's population will live in a state where the sale and possession of marijuana will be permitted under state law, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a national pro-legalization advocacy group.
Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington D.C. have already legalized recreational pot.
Could New Jersey be far behind?
People in the Garden State who favor legalization say the more states pass these ballot initiatives, the closer New Jersey comes to joining them.
"No matter how your slice it, if they pass it's a good thing for New Jersey," said Bill Caruso, a steering committee member of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, a group of religious, civil rights, law enforcement and medical leaders who champion legalization for social justice reasons. "The inevitability argument is the best ones going for us."
Pro-legal pot supporters are tackling it differently in New Jersey. They want to enact a law rather than asking for voter support.
Using the legislative approach gives lawmakers and policy makers more control over how they want the market regulated, said Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who will introduce a pot legalization bill before the end of the year. Making changes to the law requires states like Colorado to go back to the voters for permission, he said.
"That's the one problem i hear from the Colorado regulators," said Scutari, who has made two trips to Colorado this year to observe the impact legal pot has had on government, the economy and crime. "They have less opportunity to work within the regulations to make sure it works well. We can work the kinks out."
Scutari said he knows there is much more work to do to build support for legalizing weed among his legislative colleagues, But between a trip he led to Denver and Boulder last month and the publicity around the election, he said the momentum is growing.
"The more states that legalize it, the more legislators will say what are we waiting for?" Scutari said. The only downside? New Jersey "won't be ahead of the game" on the east coast if Massachusetts legalizes marijuana first.
A study by New Jersey Policy Perspective and New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform estimate the state eventually could reap $300 million in tax revenue if if the 356,000 people who use it illegally every month buy it on the legal market.
Support has been building across the country for legalization as people "see successes in the states where they have it," Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Morgan Fox said.
More young people participate in presidential elections, a demographic largely supports legal weed, he said.
"They see it as an idea whose time has come — moving it away from the criminal (market) and into the hands of people creating jobs," Fox said.
Pro-pot supporters are also better funded this time than in previous election years. In addition to the people who work in the marijuana industry opening their wallets, former Facebook president Sean Parker and his affiliates have spent $8.6 million to help Proposition 64 pass in California, according to Ballotpedia.
California supporters have outspent opponents $22 million to $2 million, according to the Ballotpedia website.
The single most generous marijuana foe has been casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who has contributed $1 million to defeat the measure in Massachusetts and $2 million in Nevada.
Other opponents include executives from the pharmaceutical and alcohol distribution industries and some, but not all law enforcement organizations, Fox said. Elected officials, such as U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and religious leaders in Massachusetts have united against legalization.
Polls in all five states show more support for legalizing recreational marijuana than opposition, although not all by wide margins.
In Nevada, for instance, 47 percent said they were voting yes, 43 percent said no and 11 percent were undecided as of mid-October. In Massachusetts, 49 percent said they would vote yes, 42.4 percent said no and 8 percent was undecided.
Support was greatest in California, where 55 percent said they were voting yes, 38 percent said no and 6 percent were undecided.
Four other states — Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Oklahoma — will also decide whether marijuana should be available as medicine. New Jersey is one of 25 states plus the District of Columbia, where medical marijuana is permitted.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Why This Election Could Help Pave Way For Legal Marijuana In N.J.
Author: Susan K. Livio
Contact:nj.com
Photo Credit: Brennan Linsley
Website: nj.com