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Published Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 | 4:05 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 | 4:14 p.m.
There’s nothing like marijuana to get voters off their couches and to the polls, according to some political strategists.
National Democrats are looking at putting marijuana legalization initiatives on the 2012 ballot in a handful of swing states, including Nevada, to motivate young voters, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Some analysts believe Prop. 19 in California, which would legalize a certain amount of marijuana, has helped Democrats running at the top of the ticket. Republicans nationally have been more enthusiastic about the upcoming election than Democrats, according to polls.
The Wall Street Journal said the unnamed strategists were looking at states that could be competitive in the 2012 presidential campaign.
Efforts to legalize pot in Nevada have been largely unsuccessful so far. The Nevada chapter of the Marijuana Policy Project submitted an initiative petition earlier this year, but lost national funding, according to the group’s campaign manager, Dave Schwartz (no relation to author.)
Schwartz said they would likely fall short of collecting the 100,000 signatures they needed to collect by November. The initiative would tax and legalize sale of up to an ounce of marijuana for an individual. It would have been sold at about 120 stores statewide.
“There have been discussions where (marijuana legalization) has tended to drive out younger voters,” Schwartz said. He noted that while many of those supporters would lean Democratic, there is crossover support on the issue from libertarian-leaners, such as supporters of Republican Rep. Rand Paul.
Schwartz said he started a new group, Sensible Nevada, to work toward “ending the prohibition on marijuana.”
He said the group will be active in the 2011 Legislature and is evaluating options for the 2012 ballot.
The only problem is that stoners usually don't come out to vote, even for pro pot bills. :)
boftx:
They do when Harry Reid is standing outside the polling stations giving away free munchies and pizza!!!!
Chunky says:
Using marijuana to energize someone is an oxymoron of comic proportion! Funny headline!
That's what Chunky thinks!
You know, If we could somehow have voting on the internet, I'm sure all the stoners would be on board...lol :O)
Pot heads unite. Get your government involved. Go after those tax dollars.
Make your government your drug dealer in order to finance those government services, your spending habit.
When the government packages MJ cigarettes (not the first time, they used to package them identical to cigarettes without the tax stamp for a program now cancelled that allowed certain doctors to prescribe them for cancer patients), only this time with a tax stamp; then regulates every facet of their production, distribution, sales and eventually use; and the cost becomes prohibitive, what then?
Think DMV, post office, AMTRACK and health care all together.
Oh, and when you can't afford your health insurance premium because they know your a pot head and the IRS is after you for unpaid taxes because of the black market pot you bought or grew?
Oh yeah.. I can't wait. Don't think so? Go ahead, bet your mortgage or your years pay on it.
I was talking to an alleged stoner today. He told me that he has thought Sharron Angle's head looks very much like an Apple Brown Betty. :O)
How have we been served by the war on drugs? Seems to me we lost but are not willing to admit it. What are we afraid of?
Chunky says:
He's perfectly okay with what someone does in the privacy of their own home and he's okay with legitimate legal medical prescriptions for marijuana.
Since marijuana is still illegal he definitely has a problem with the pseudo-BS medical marijuana cards / process where anyone with a good "excuse" can get a card. Chunky isn't referring to those with serious / debilitating medical needs.
In the old days Chunky had his share of time with the bong, but that was 20+ years ago and there's no place for it in his daily life these days any more than he would start the day with a cocktail.
There's a time and place for everything but most daily stoners simply don't realize the rest of us have little faith in their reliability and accuracy. And yes, you're tagged by the rest of us whether you realize it or not.
If you're driving your vehicle stoned you're a drunk driver and should be jailed as far as Chunky is concerned. With legalization I would hope it comes with "sobriety" roadside tests the same as alcohol.
If you're starting the day with weed and are not suffering from a serious pain or life threatening medical condition the only person you're fooling is yourself.
Legalizing marijuana is fine but just because it's legal doesn't legitimize being stoned all day.
That's what Chunky thinks!
for someone that always refers to him or herself in the third person chunky usually makes a lot of sense.
Legalize, legalize, legalize, and impose restrictions on it just like alcohol (have to be 21+, can't drive while intoxicated, etc, etc). This will make Vegas much more of a desireable destination therefore increasing tourism. This will create jobs and small businesses can be created (munchie cart vendors on the strip - better than the porn folks). Police can then start to go after the meth and crack heads you know, the people that blow up labs (ie, their houses) and rob from their relatives and businesses). When was the last time you read an article about a pot head robbing their relatives/a store to score money for weed? Release all of the folks in jail for simple posession (reduce overcrowding) and keep the real criminals in jail where they should be. If weed was legalized (with sensible restrictions) it would increase revenue via taxation, encourage small businesses to open up and enable police to focus on the real drug problem (meth!)
people grow out of smoking pot. having kids and a mortage payment can do that to you. legalizing it makes too much sense and the religious right wingers will lose one of their demons they blame everything on.
Time to Stop the Prohibition Insanity, and LEGALIZE!!!