Pubdate: Thu, 4 Nov 2010
Source: AlterNet (US Web)
Copyright: 2010 Independent Media Institute
Website: http://www.alternet.org/
Author: Ethan Nadelmann
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis - United States)
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MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: NOT IF, BUT WHEN

California's marijuana legalization initiative, Proposition 19, 
didn't win a majority of votes, but it already represents an 
extraordinary victory for the broader movement to legalize marijuana.

What's most important is the way its mere presence on the ballot, 
combined with a well run campaign, has transformed public dialogue 
about marijuana and marijuana policy.

The media coverage, not just in California but around the country and 
even internationally, has been exceptional, both in quantity and quality.

More people knew about Prop 19 than any other measure on the ballot 
this year -- not just in California but nationwide.

The debate is shifting from whether marijuana should be legalized to 
how. Public opinion polls in California consistently reveal that a 
majority of the state's citizens favor legalizing marijuana.

One "No on 19" campaign spokesman admitted that even his own 
supporters were divided between those who oppose legalizing marijuana 
and those who favor legalization but were wary of either Prop 19's 
specific provisions or the federal government's threats to block it 
from being implemented.

Prop 19 both elevated and legitimized public discourse about 
marijuana. It's the small but growing number of elected officials who 
endorsed Prop 19 or said they'd vote for it -- and the increasingly 
frequent private expressions of support by candidates and elected 
officials who said they wished they could be public about their position.

It's the growing number of endorsements by labor unions, including 
SEIU California, and civil rights organizations, including the 
California chapter of the NAACP and the National Latino Officers Association.

The international attention, especially in Latin America, has been 
extensive. Mexican President Calderon and Colombian President Santos 
both criticized Proposition 19, pointing to it as evidence of 
inconsistency in US drug policy.

But the possibility that Prop 19 might win did prompt both presidents 
to call for more open debate about legalization and other 
alternatives to current drug policy.

Mexican diplomatic officials publicly castigated Prop 19 but 
privately said they hoped it would win. No one thought a victory for 
Prop 19 would instantly put the violent Mexican drug trafficking 
organizations out of business but everyone recognized that it would 
represent a major step forward toward ultimately legalizing marijuana 
on both sides of the border.

And that most definitely would undermine the criminal organizations, 
who would lose their competitive advantage just as repealing national 
alcohol Prohibition eventually did away with the bootleggers.

"How great it would be for California to set this example," former 
Mexican President Vicente Fox said in a radio interview last week. 
"May God let it pass. The other U.S. states will have to follow step."

There's now solid and increasing evidence that marijuana legalization 
is an issue that young people care about a lot -- and that putting it 
on the ballot increases the chances that they'll actually vote. Both 
major parties have no choice but to pay attention, especially when 
the political allegiances of young voters are very much up for grabs. 
Democrats correctly see the marijuana issue as bringing out more 
votes for them than for Republicans. Asked what would bring out 
young, first-time Barack Obama voters again, the chairman of the 
California Democratic Party, John Burton, responded with one word: "Pot."

It's notable, though, that Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for 
governor in California, did not actively campaign against Prop 19, 
most likely because she did not want to alienate young voters who 
don't identify as Democrats but who do feel strongly about legalizing 
marijuana. Younger voters across the political spectrum increasingly 
lean libertarian, especially on issues like marijuana.

Both Democrats and Republicans will need to re-think this issue when 
Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico who has championed 
marijuana legalization and "harm reduction" drug policies for other 
drugs, runs in the Republican presidential primaries next year, as he 
seems sure to do. First-time and other young voters may gravitate in 
substantial numbers toward his message -- and all the more so if Ron 
Paul decides to hand off the baton to his younger ideological soul mate.

For those of us engaged in long term strategizing on marijuana law 
reform, the plan is the same as it would have been if Prop 19 had 
won: to put the issue to voters in states where public opinion polls 
show majority support for legalizing marijuana, and to introduce 
similar bills in state legislatures. Public support for legalizing 
marijuana now approaches or tops 50% not just in California but in a 
growing number of western states, including Washington, Oregon, 
Alaska, Colorado and Nevada -- so it's reasonable to expect ballot 
initiatives on the issue in those states in coming years.

It's too soon to say whether the issue will be back on the ballot in 
California in 2012 but at the very least we know that a bill to 
regulate and tax marijuana will be considered by the state 
legislature, just as one was earlier this year. And a flurry of 
similar bills can be expected around the country as state 
legislators, emboldened by Proposition 19 and rapidly increasing 
support nationwide for marijuana legalization, kick start the 
conversation in their own legislatures.

Meanwhile, Prop 19 already can claim one hard victory: Governor 
Schwarzenegger recently signed into law a bill that will reduce the 
penalty for marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a 
non-arrestable infraction, like a traffic ticket.

That's no small matter in a state where arrests for marijuana 
possession totaled 61,000 last year -- roughly triple the number in 
1990. It's widely assumed that the principal reason the governor 
signed the bill, which had been introduced by a liberal state 
senator, Mark Leno, was to undermine one of the key arguments in 
favor of Prop 19.

Demographics, economics and principle all favor the ultimate demise 
of marijuana prohibition. Over half of California voters under the 
age of fifty said they'd vote for Proposition 19, and likely did. The 
youngest voters are most in favor while the most elderly voters are 
the most opposed. Meanwhile, the economic arguments for legalizing 
marijuana -- including both the savings from reduced spending on law 
enforcement and the revenues from taxing legal marijuana, will only 
grow more persuasive. Marijuana isn't going to legalize itself, but 
momentum is building like never before among Americans across the 
political spectrum who think it's time to take marijuana out of the 
closet and out of the criminal justice system.

Ethan Nadelmann is founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake