Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2013
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2013 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Donna Leinwand Leger, USA Today

PUSH FOR LEGAL POT GETS BOOST AS FEDS EASE ENFORCEMENT

More States Expected to Weigh Recreational Use

Marijuana movements already simmering across the country could get a 
big boost from the Obama administration's announcement that it will 
take a laid-back approach to states with softer laws on marijuana.

"This is one of the most significant milestones in the movement 
toward ending marijuana prohibition," said Mason Tvert, spokesman for 
the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates marijuana legalization 
and regulation. The group has led several ballot initiatives across 
the U.S. "The federal government for the first time ever has sent a 
clear signal to states that they can adopt their own marijuana 
policies if they do them in a responsible manner."

Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized marijuana for 
recreational use, and 20 states have approved it for medical use. 
Until Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement last Thursday, 
marijuana users in those states could have faced federal prosecution 
even if they adhered to state laws and local regulations.

Under the new guidelines, the Justice Department will not challenge 
state laws and prosecutors may not bring cases against individual 
users unless they violate eight federal priorities, including 
marijuana distribution to minors or as a cover for drug-trafficking operations.

Political opponents of marijuana legalization can no longer cite the 
federal government as a reason to squelch the pushes, Tvert said.

Advocates of marijuana legalization are gearing up for 2014 and 2016 
elections with ballot initiatives in a number of states, including 
Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Nevada and Oregon, said Stephen 
Gutwillig, deputy executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, 
which advocates a public-health approach to drug use. Tvert said he 
expects to see legalization measures by 2016 in Arizona, California, 
Maine, Massachusetts, Montana and Nevada.

"The victories in Colorado and Washington were already so significant 
that a number of activists in a number of states were already 
planning similar campaigns," Gutwillig said. "The announcement, if 
anything, will embolden those campaigns and potentially inspire 
activists and elected officials elsewhere who were waiting to see the 
official federal response."

The Safer Arizona ballot initiative, which is modeled after 
Colorado's law, would amend the state Constitution to allow people 
age 18 and older "to consume or possess limited amounts" of 
marijuana. It would also authorize state officials to license 
production facilities, marijuana stores and other facilities.

"The intent of the initiative is to legalize marijuana in Arizona and 
to treat it as we treat alcohol," Dennis Bohlke, the 59-year-old 
computer programmer who is leading the effort, told The Arizona 
Republic in June.

Bohlke said he has no major financial backing to fund signature 
gathering. The initiative needs 259,213 valid signatures by July 3 to 
qualify for the November 2014 ballot.

Arizona voters approved the use of medicinal marijuana in 2010 for 
conditions such as chronic pain and cancer. More than 35,000 
Arizonans participate in the program, which is overseen by the state 
Department of Health Services.

Drug-abuse-prevention groups say they will work to derail the 
movement. Arthur Dean, CEO of the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of 
America, said he had expected the Justice Department to "reaffirm 
federal law and slow down this freight train."

"Instead, this decision sends a message to our citizens, youth, 
communities, states and the international community at large that the 
enforcement of federal law related to marijuana is not a priority," 
Dean said. "We remain gravely concerned that we, as a nation, are 
turning a blind eye to the serious public-health and public-safety 
threats associated with widespread marijuana use."

Gutwillig sees the greatest potential for the movement among state 
legislators who may have feared tangling with the Justice Department 
if they passed laws in conflict with federal statutes. The new 
federal guidelines tell states that robust state regulation of 
marijuana will likely meet federal drug-control goals if they keep 
drugs from kids and criminals.

The Drug Policy Alliance expects to see bills on a range of marijuana 
laws, Gutwillig said.

"Just from a policy perspective, that's going to encourage state 
elected officials. This isn't just the feds looking the other way," 
he said. "This is an acknowledgment that state regulation can work in 
concert with the federal government on a more effective way of 
dealing with the realities of marijuana in our communities today."

Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanches contributed to this article.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom