With just one week left until the election, there have been some recent news to report on, including two new campaign ads and several new polls.
WASHINGTON
New Approach Washington, the campaign behind the state’s I-502 to regulate marijuana, has released a new television ad focusing on the ways regulation will help control youth use. In the ad, a Washington mother discusses the issues of the black market and how cannabis legalization can help protect our children. “Young people have easy access to marijuana, and of course drug dealers don’t check IDs,” she states of the current system of prohibition. Regulating marijuana would help solve these problems, she says, it is “just common sense.”
Polling data released last week by Strategies 360 had I-502 at 54% support with opposition trailing at 38%.
COLORADO
The campaign in Colorado supporting Amendment 64 has also released a new television ad, this one focusing on the issues facing our veterans suffering from PTSD. The commercial features a father and returning veteran who is unable to procure the cannabis he needs for his condition under Colorado’s medical marijuana laws. Under the current law, patients suffering with PTSD do not qualify for access, but Amendment 64 would remove criminal penalties for possession and would provide them places of safe retail venues at which to procure their medicine.
“Please vote YES on Amendment 64 so that other vets don’t have to suffer.”
In other news from Colorado, the latest polling from PPP had Amendment 64 leading by ten points, 53% support to 43% opposition. Help us take Colorado to victory by utilizing our online phone banking programs and begin calling Colorado voters from the comfort of your home today! Each dial results in a person that is more likely to vote, and more likely to vote YES. You can use SSDP and NORML’s phonebank to dial voters under 30, or the JustSayNow phonebank for voters over 30.
OREGON
New polling data out of Oregon shows the number of undecided voters is diminishing. Data just released by The Oregonian has support for Measure 80, which would end the state’s marijuana prohibition, at 42% with 49% opposed and 8% still undecided. Previous polling had Measure 80 with 37% support and 41% opposition with 22% undecided. You can help push Measure 80 to success by using JustSayNow’s online phone bank to call voters in Oregon by clicking here.
MASSACHUSETTS
The latest polling out of Massachusetts still has their medical marijuana initiative, Question 3, with a strong lead over its opposition. In data released this week by Suffolk University/7NEWS, Massachusetts voters support Question 3 by a margin of 55% to 36%. This is a slight drop in support from polls earlier in the year, but still very much on the track for passage.
ARKANSAS
The latest polling data coming out of Arkansas shows a rough fight ahead for their ballot initiative to legalize the medical use of marijuana. In a poll conducted Thursday, October 18th, by TalkBusiness and Hendrix College had support for Issue 5 at just 38%, with opposition at 54% and 8% are undecided.
For more information on the initiative and on how you can help legalize medical use of cannabis in Arkansas this November, please visit the campaign’s website at www.arcompassion.com
MICHIGAN
Learn more about the local initiatives up for vote in Michigan here.
Don’t forget to get out and vote! Find your polling place, check your registration status, and read about all the state and local initiatives by using NORML’s 2012 voter guide, Smoke the Vote.
I hope that all voters that are able to get out and vote,so we can win this war on our american people need to be treated fair and equall when it comes to what i think is the single most important issue in this country at this time, that is all americans living in the United States Of America Should be afforeded the same treatment/and the same drugs like the many that live in one of the 17 legal States. I belive in my heart that if all that can vote go out and do it with an informed state of mind,that we will pass these bills in every state that is seeking change and make this troubled world a Better place for us and our familys.
Remember your presidential vote counts too, voting for either Romney or Obama is a bad idea if you truly want change. There are other candidates.
Green party – Jill Stein
Justice party – Rocky Anderson
Constitution Party – Virgil Goode
Libertarian – Gary Johnson
They all agree the drug war is a failed policy and endorse legalization, decriminalization, and regulation.
Vote wisely please.
Kinda sucks, I am a Mass resident but I can’t vote for Medical Marijuana because I am a convicted felon (for grass). Pretty ironic if you ask me… Disabled Veteran alos whcih makes this even more laughable.
Looks like Mass will not need my help on this one though!
I WANT POT LEGAL IN ALL STATES, It’s not fair that 17 states get to be legal while us in Ohio are still waiting!! Please let me know if I can do anything to hurry this slow ass process up. Thank you, Doug Boyer
Virgil Goode DOES NOT support decriminalization.
Vote for Johnson!!!
What about Texas, we should have rights also. I exercise my rite to toke on a daily basis, it keeps me going through the day and is the only thing on this earth that can help me sleep.
In Minnesota, Legalization is on the ballot. We cannot place initiatives on by petition, so we nominate candidates. For Governor and Lt. Governor, you can vote for Chris Wright and David Daniels of the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party; and also for Judith Schwartzbacker for State Auditor on the same ticket; and for Dan Vacek for Attorney General who will have the slogan LEGAL MARIJUANA NOW printed right on the ballot with his name. No question what his votes will signify! Minnesota NORML members have been running candidates for office on the Grassroots ticket since 1986–we twice nominated Jeck Herer for President and had Dennis Peron on for President in 1996, the same year as Proposition 215–inspired by Peron–passed in California to show that voting power is the tool with which we can potentially overthrow prohibition.
Did you know about the Minnesota campaign this year? Has this heroic effort been mentioned anywhere? To put these candidates on the ballot, volunteers collected about 9,000 petition signatures and addresses in two weeks time. Journalists and pundits are yawning in print about how boring this year’s election is in Minnesota. They ignore the presence of 17 statewide candidates who support cannabis legalization–our four freedom fighters, and also candidates of the Libertarian, Independence, and Green parties.
But why shouldn’t the press ignore these voices of the voiceless? National NORML won’t bother to even answer letters we write to them; Erik Altieri doesn’t return phone calls; the state NORML chapter’s leadership studiedly ignored the opportunities this election offered to place cannabis reform front and center in the election—“WE’D have made it interesting!”
Anyone who wants to learn more should go to Facebook and check out Wright/Daniels 2014, or go to http://www.votewright.org. “Let’s Get Growing!”