H/t to drcnet.org and NORML:
http://stopthedrugwar.org/...
2010 will be remembered, in part thanks to Proposition 19, as the year in which America was forced to confront the inevitability of cannabis law reform.
2011 will likely be remembered as the year in which the process of making those changes truly ramped up. And it'd be to Democrats' advantage in most states to embrace this change, instead of following the White House's 'lead' on this issue (I typed "lead", but "treading water" is more accurate). There are nine decrim bills, and 2 re-legalization bills. Although this is a bi-partisan issue, Democrats are mostly responsible for pushing these bills forward.
In case you missed the Maryland or Hawaii updates.
(flip)
Click on the link in the intro and check out the action state-by-state; I highly doubt that I am permitted to re-post all of that here.
Ten states decriminalized the possession of marijuana in a sudden burst in the 1970s, just before the dark, "just say no" years of the Reagan era, but after that, it was more than two decades before another state decriminalized when Nevada joined the list in 2001. Then Massachusetts voters added the Bay State to the list in 2008, and California came on board last year.
Driven by budgetary imperatives and increasing awareness of the absurdity of pot prohibition, what had been a trickle of interest in at the least down-grading the severity of pot punishments now threatens to become a torrent. At least nine state legislatures are contemplating marijuana decriminalization bills this year (a tenth, Virginia's, already defeated it this year), while California is pondering a bill to reduce cultivation penalties, and legislatures in two states, Massachusetts and Washington, are considering outright legalization.
It's unlikely that all -- or even most -- of the bills will pass, but prospects are good in several states. In other states, progress will be measured by winning a hearing or a committee vote, and will be viewed as laying the ground work for a longer-term legislative strategy.
I will continue to doubt the sincerity or intelligence of any politician who lies to us, even in this day and age, about the 'dangers' of cannabis. But the status quo in this country never changes without a fight. We'll get nothing from the White House in terms of help on this issue, so it will have to be pushed state-by-state....as it should be.
More:
"The bill is moving nicely in the Senate," said Pam Lichty of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii. "It passed unanimously and unamended out of its last committee and awaits a floor vote. It will likely pass there," she said.
"But prospects are dicier in the House," Lichty continued. "There are some new and/or conservative committee chairs who will likely get the referrals. If it reaches Gov. Ambercrombie's desk, he will probably sign it, but that's a big if."
And the state of WA:
Things are looking a little better in Washington. "We had a great hearing on the cannabis regulation bill last month and educated a lot of people," said Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), a cosponsor of the bill. "It's another step in the process of reform."
Goodman said he had prepared an amendment to the bill that would make its implementation effective upon the changing of federal law, either through rescheduling or amending the Controlled Substances Act. "That would deal with the chair's objections and get it out of committee," he said. "If we delay implementation under federal law changes, we can do it. We will then have a system in place."
There's a lot of support for this in WA, and the Seattle Times endorsed the bill last month.