A document preparing Hillary Clinton for her primary debates and released by WIkiLeaks suggests that as President she would
continue President Obama’s hands-off policy towards state-legal marijuana industries, as long as they follow broad federal guidelines. Her talking points also suggest some openness to industry banking. (See
page 97 of the document for more details.)
Other WikiLeaks reveals: 1) Clinton
opposed legalization in a paid appearance in March 2014. 2) In a meeting with Black Lives Matter activists she said she supported
the idea
of decriminalizing pot, but said she wasn’t sure how to implement it.
A new Gallup poll found that a record
60% of Americans support legalizing REC. Marijuana went unmentioned in all three Presidential debates.
In Arizona, both the presidential election and the REC vote are
too close to call. Retailer Discount Tire
donated $1 million to oppose REC in the state, leading to calls for a boycott. Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim McMahon, appears in a
pro-REC ad in Arizona.
By counting representatives, Tom Angell at Marijuana.com suggests that the
upcoming REC votes, if they pass, could make Congress much more amenable to legalization.
The opioid epidemic has contributed to a close race for REC in
liberal Massachusetts, which in 1911 was the first state to ban cannabis.
Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley
convened an interfaith gathering to oppose the REC vote. “To me, this is greed trumping common sense and also undermining the common good,” he said. “It will change the culture of this state if this legislation is passed.”
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has donated $1M to the opposition.
The Mormon Church is
urging adherents in California, Arizona and Nevada to oppose REC. In Colorado, the church opposes a medically assisted suicide amendment.
It’s not clear
what kind of business environment Florida's MED initiative would create. Also, a printed Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) mail-in ballot
was missing the MED question. According to the Sun-Sentinel, county officials did not seem perturbed.
The AP reports that businesses are joining activists as major contributors
on both sides for the upcoming state votes. In SFWeekly, I said the
pro-legalization TV ads fall short.
Arkansas found that both MED proposals up for a vote
would cost more than they generate in taxes. The state’s surgeon general appeared in an
anti-MED ad, calling it “drug abuse, not medicine.”
On Election Day, 50 Oregon towns and counties will vote on whether to
opt back in to the industry. A similar initiative in Long Beach, Calif., has
strong local support.
A poll found that
most Montanans oppose the state’s MED initiative.
The Denver Post endorsed the city’s
social use ballot initiative.
The New York Times
editorializes: “States are driving the change in marijuana policy because they see the damage created by draconian drug laws on communities, families and state budgets. It’s time the federal government acknowledged these costs and got out of the way of states adopting more rational laws.”
Next year, Alaska’s Fairbanks Borough will vote on
banning cannabis businesses. An Anchorage, Ak., elementary school
apologized after parents received an ant-pot business robocall.
Detroit
closed dozens of dispensaries for non-compliance.
Under heavy criticism for his war on drugs, the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte said he was
realigning the country with China instead of the U.S. His aides were quick to backpedal.
The liberal Scottish National Party endorsed
decriminalizing MED.
