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Homegrown.
While the Obama administration is deliberating how to handle the newly approved marijuana legalization laws in Colorado and Washington State, one thing they will likely pay attention to is popular opinion. Regular Americans overwhelmingly see marijuana legalization as a states’ rights issue and do not want the federal government to interfere with the will of the electorate in either state.
A new Reason-Rupe Public Opinion poll found a majority of Americans do not want federal resources used to inhibit any aspects of the new legal marijuana system in these two states. The poll found 72 percent don’t want the federal government to arrest people for using marijuana in these states, while only 24 percent want federal law enforcement deployment.
Similarly, the poll found 68 percent don’t want the feds arresting people for growing marijuana and 64 percent don’t even want the feds to arrest people for selling marijuana. As long as individual are following state law they should be left alone.
Interestingly, the survey found that 47 percent support legalizing marijuana for recreational issue while 49 percent oppose it. While the country is still divided on the merits of legalization, even many of the people who don’t think legalization is a good idea would still oppose having the federal government interfere. As far as most Americans are concerned, the voters in both states have spoken and the federal government should respect that.
Photo by lookcatalog under Creative Commons license
9 Comments
States rights will be respected when it helps big business only.
one has to wonder how much anti legalization lobbying is done by for profit prison operaters who want to maximize prison population. we have a higher percentage of incarserated to general population than red communist china. we are a very exceptional country, no?
100 percent of privately owned prisons (nice concept)
are opposed.
“one thing they will likely pay attention to is popular opinion”
Any particular reason they would start paying attention now? Because legal clinics were very popular in California during the DoJ blitz against them.
Many of the legal clinics were shams. I believe (and could be very wrong) that since the law in WA and CO was changed to allow recreational use, the need for sham clinics and prescriptions isn’t necessary. This change in perception may give the feds a loop hole that will let them levave the store fronts alone since they are not a cover for recreational use.
Interesting, but has nothing to do with Obama Administration changing focus owing to public opinion; especially given what a target-rich enforcement environment in which they operate.
Not to worry, Obama will do pharma’s bidding, enticed no doubt with incentives from the booze industry. Fie.
I’m still waiting for hemp to be legalized. But then king cotton, lumber and oil will never permit that either.
The only legalization worth a hill of beans includes the right to grow. If people are forced to buy it from the Wall Street controlled government it will be lacking in real medication because Big Pharma knows it’s better medicine than 99 percent of the crap they have and it grown with the same toxic chemicals as tobacco by Big Tobacco. Beware what is offered as “legalization”.
Lucky you then, because when Colorado legalized marijuana, they did the same for hemp. Unless you’re referring to it having the same problem federally as marijuana, in which case, yeah, the companies will never stand for that.