Well, most of the election results
are in and there are some terrific results for drug policy reformers. One
referendum item that is tremendously encouraging even though it failed to pass,
comes from Alaska. That state had a ballot initiative that would have completely
legalized marijuana in Alaska. Unfortunately it included reparations for
currently imprisoned drug offenders which would have opened a can of worms that
would have been frightening for everyone. In spite of this provision, this badly
written, over-zealous attempt at reform managed to get 40% of the voters in
Alaska to vote for it !
Because it flies directly in the face of
current federal drug laws,Mendicino County's voters overwhelming vote to allow
any resident to grow up to 25 marijuana plants for their personal use will
probably not have much real effect. Though local police will not prioritize
marijuana arrests it will have no effect on state and federal drug police
activities. Still, a strong message was sent.
For other updates from around the country
I urge you to read ReconsiDer member Ethan Nadelmann's wrap-up
below.
Election Yields
Largest-Ever Repudiation of Nation's War on
Drugs
Millions in Five States Choose
Treatment vs. Jail for Non-Violent
Offenders, Medical Use of Marijuana, and
Reform of Drug-Related
Asset Forfeiture Laws
On Tuesday,
November 7, millions of Americans sent a clear message
that they have lost
faith in the nation's war on drugs. In five states,
voters decided in
favor of major change regarding treatment instead of
prison for non-violent
offenders; medical marijuana for patients when
recommended by a doctor; and
civil asset forfeiture law reform.
"The public is way ahead of the
politicians when it comes to
embracing sensible drug polices," said Ethan
Nadelmann, Executive
Director of The Lindesmith Center - Drug Policy
Foundation.
"Americans are tired of wasting billions of dollars on a drug
war
that is not working, especially when clear, pragmatic
alternatives
exist."
Proposition 36 in California is the most
significant drug policy reform
passed to date. It was endorsed on
Tuesday by 61% of voters in
California - a higher percentage than Al Gore
received in the state.
According to a California Legislative Analyst report,
this initiative could
result in up to 24,000 nonviolent offenders and 12,000
parole violators
being diverted to drug treatment instead of jail every year,
saving
taxpayers more than $200 million.
"The net impact of
Proposition 36 in California may well exceed the
impact of drug courts
throughout the entire country," said Nadelmann.
Proposition 36 allocates
$120 million per year for a wide range of
drug treatment options, including
job and literacy training, and family
counseling.
"This is the single
most significant reversal in the trend towards
incarcerating drug users,"
said Bill Zimmerman, Executive Director
of the Campaign for New Drug
Policies, which coordinated six drug
policy initiative campaigns this
year. "Hopefully California will be the
first of many states to pass
this common sense drug policy."
In Nevada and Colorado, voters passed
initiatives to make marijuana
legally available for medical purposes. A
confidential registry will be
created in each of these states for patients
with certain illnesses to
receive credentials immunizing them from marijuana
possession and
cultivation laws.
Nevada and Colorado now join six
other states where voters have
also made marijuana available for medical
purposes, including
Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Oregon and
Washington.
(Hawaii also passed a similar measure through the legislative
process
this year.) Patients in these states are now using marijuana
with the
full cooperation of state officials, despite periodic attempts by
the
federal government to interfere. Ample evidence now exists
that
proves marijuana's medicinal benefits to patients with AIDS,
cancer
and multiple sclerosis, among other diseases.
"Despite the
overwhelming will of the people and the ample evidence
proving marijuana's
medicinal benefits, the federal government refuses
to budge on this issue,"
said Zimmerman. "This is just one reason
people feel the drug war has
gone too far."
In Oregon and Utah, voters overwhelmingly approved ballot
initiatives
to curtail the asset forfeiture abuses by police and
prosecutors. Many
innocent citizens, never convicted or even accused of
crimes, have been
victimized by seizures based solely on the suspicions of
law enforcement
officers. Now, however, based on the new initiatives,
police and
prosecutors will be required to prove by clear and convincing
evidence
that seized property was in fact involved in a
crime.
Moreover, whereas seized assets were previously retained by
law
enforcement agents - with predictably distorting consequences on
their
priorities and motivations - the new measures require that
proceeds go to
public education or drug treatment.
"The future of drug policy reform
over the next few years will be at
the state and local levels, where people
are searching for pragmatic
solutions to local drug problems," said
Nadelmann. "The White
House and the new Congress should stay
tuned."
__
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