#marijuana ballot

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Ohio votes to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, becoming 24th state to do so

Ohio voters approved a measure legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday, defying Republican legislative leaders who had failed to pass the proposed law. Passage of Issue 2 makes Ohio the 24th state to allow adult cannabis use for non-medical purposes. “Marijuana is no longer a controversial issue,” said Tom Haren, spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. “Ohioans…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Léonie Chao-Fong at The Guardian:

Donald Trump has come out in support for a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, the state in which he resides.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said “personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults” with Florida’s amendment 3, “whether people like it or not”. The former US president said “someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States”. He added: “We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them.” Trump, as a resident Floridian, will be able to cast a vote on the state’s amendment 3 in November, which would allow adults over 21 to legally buy and use marijuana without a medical card. Under the proposed amendment, growing marijuana independently would still be illegal, and individuals could possess no more than three ounces for personal use. Trump’s support contrasts with Florida’s governor and fellow Republican, Ron DeSantis, who has been a vocal opponent of the ballot measure. “This is bad policy and even worse constitutional law,” DeSantis wrote in an X post this week.

DeSantis has said he opposes amendment 3 because of the smell, and has claimed, without evidence, that people would be “able to bring 20 joints to an elementary school”. In his social media post, Trump called on the state’s lawmakers to implement regulations that would ban the use of marijuana in public spaces “so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go”. But advocates of marijuana legalization argue that Republican lawmakers are exaggerating the scale of the smell problem in order to support policies banning the public use of cannabis, which has become increasingly accepted by Americans for years.

Donald Trump said that he’ll vote in favor of Florida’s marijuana legalization ballot measure Amendment 3.

See Also:

HuffPost: Trump Backs Florida's Recreational Marijuana Amendment

[cannabisnewstoday]

https://norml.org/blog/2024/08/12/north-dakota-marijuana-legalization-measure-will-appear-on-november-ballot/

[laomelettedufromage]

For all my fellow American absentee voters, don’t forget to request your absentee ballots for the upcoming general election

[polyamoryprincess]

Republicans not leaning into marijuana legalization is still baffling to me. Like we’re at a point where it’s much harder to use marijuana as an easy way to get a prison labor force (slaves) and it’s popular amongst both liberals and conservatives. I figured they were just trying to get their ducks in order so that when it’s legalized they can make sure to have their hand in the pot and have a stronghold on the industry (like the capitalistic pricks they are) but I think they might just genuinely be so fucking old and delusional that they think Reefer Madness is still like a thing people worry about.

[alldruginfo]

Advancing Florida Weed Legalization: A Comprehensive Analysis

In our endeavor to delve into the momentum surrounding Florida weed legalization, it's imperative to recognize the multifaceted landscape that defines this evolving narrative. From historical perspectives to contemporary socio-political movements, the trajectory of cannabis laws in Florida unveils a compelling saga of transformation, propelled by diverse interests and convictions. In this discourse, we navigate through the contours of this discourse, elucidating the historical context, current legal framework, advocacy efforts, economic implications, and broader societal concerns intertwined with the push for marijuana legalization in the Sunshine State.

[tanoraqui]

shoutout to my dash and the Democratic Party as a whole right now for being like

Some good policy reasons to get excited about Harris. Gun control! Heathcare! LGBT rights!

Fighting for the fate of the world: has said she’ll make climate change a top national security priority; was one of the original Senate sponsors of the Green New Deal (others: Ocasio-Cortez, Markey), much of which became Biden’s stealthily VERY green Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act

Yes, she was a prosecuting attorney; no, it’s NOT an ACAB situation—highlights of her time as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California include enabling a re-entry/anti-recidivism program for young drug users which is now used as a template around the country, pointedly not prosecuting people for marijuana possession (distinctly before it was legal), defending Californians against foreclosures, got the “gay/trans panic” defense BANNED in CA courts, and being the first statewide agency to require all police offers to wear body cams.

As VP she’s spearheaded abortion rights, developed and nearly passed a landmark voting rights bill (stymied by Senate Republicans + 2 Democrats unwilling to change filibuster rules), and quietly built a solid foreign policy portfolio, including firm support of Palastine.

Find out if you’re registered to vote in any state!

Register to vote in any state!

Other voting resources—and DON’T FORGET to vote down-ballot, too! See how much Harris did as County District Attorney and State Attorney General? Those are elected offices!

[reasonsforhope]

Kamala Harris just announced that her vice president will be Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Based on the coverage so far I'm really reassured by this decision.

The Washington Post did an obviously great job of making a prepared article for each option, considering how long an article they had up 7 minutes after the announcement.

((Okay technically it's not an official announcement yet it's "according to three people familiar with the pick, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that is not yet public." But listen. I am 99% sure this is a weather balloon. (Meaning: a deliberate leak to gauge reaction.) Because the sheer weakness or incompetence on the part of the Harris campaign that it would take for three people to all confirm that within a few hours hours of each other and the planned announcement it is massive.))

-via The Washington Post, August 6, 2024

Honestly this decision, from everything I've read and can tell, looks like it's brilliant politics.

Important Context: The vice president(ial candidates)'s job in an election is not to be similar to the president. The vice president's job on the ballot is very, very much specifically to be different from the president. Why? So they can cover each others' weaknesses. Especially regionally.

(Sidenote: I feel a bit ridiculous saying this. But genuinely if you want to get a stronger understanding of how US elections really work. Go watch seasons 6 and 7 of The West Wing. Genuinely, a lot of politicians have said - especially back in its day - that that was the most accurate depiction of an election they'd ever seen. Also specifically features an entire arc about a contested Democratic primary convention, so also very good if you're interested in understanding weird nominating convention shenanigans.)

From the article:

"Harris’s choice for a running mate was among the most closely watched decisions of her fledgling campaign, as she sought to bolster the ticket’s prospects for victory in November and rapidly find someone who could be a governing partner. In picking Walz, she has selected a seasoned politician with executive governing experience and signaled the importance of Midwestern battleground states such as Wisconsin and Michigan.

Walz’s foray into politics came later in life: He spent more than two decades as a public school teacher and football coach, and as a member of the Army National Guard, before running for Congress in his 40s. In 2006, he defeated a Republican to win Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District--a rural, conservative area--and won reelection five times before leaving Congress to run for governor.

Walz was first elected governor in 2018 and handily won reelection in 2022. Though little-known outside his state, Walz emerged publicly as one of the earliest names mentioned as a possible running mate for Harris, and in the ensuing days he made the rounds on television as an outspoken surrogate for the vice president...

“These are weird people on the other side. They want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room. … They are bad on foreign policy, they are bad on the environment, they certainly have no health care plan, and they keep talking about the middle-class,” Walz told MSNBC in July. “As I said, a robber baron real estate guy and a venture capitalist trying to tell us they understand who we are? They don’t know who we are.”

Walz also has faced criticism from Republicans that his policies as governor were too liberal, including legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, protecting abortion rights, expanding LGBTQ protections, implementing tuition-free college for low-income Minnesotans and providing free breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren in the state.

But many of those initiatives are broadly popular. Walz also signed an executive order removing the college-degree requirement for 75 percent of Minnesota’s state jobs, a move that garnered bipartisan support and that several other states have also adopted.

“What a monster. Kids are eating and having full bellies, so they can go learn, and women are making their own health-care decisions,” Walz said sarcastically in a July 28 interview with CNN when questioned whether such policies would be fodder for conservative attacks, later adding: “If that’s where they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the [liberal] label.”

Walz also spoke at a kickoff event in St. Paul for a Democratic canvassing effort, casting Trump as a “bully.”

“Don’t lift these guys up like they’re some kind of heroes. Everybody in this room knows--I know it as a teacher--a bully has no self-confidence. A bully has no strength. They have nothing,” Walz said at the event, sporting a camouflage hunting hat and T-shirt.

Walz has explained that he felt some Democrats’ practice of calling Trump an existential threat to democracy was giving him too much credit, which prompted his decision to denounce the GOP nominee instead as being “weird.”

“I do believe all those things are a real possibility, but it gives him way too much power," Walz said on CNN’s “State of the Union” regarding the Democrats’ rhetoric. “Listen to the guy. He’s talking about Hannibal Lecter, shocking sharks, and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind.”

If Walz is elected vice president, under state law, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) would assume the governorship for the rest of his term. Minnesota Senate president Bobby Joe Champion, a Democrat, would become lieutenant governor."

-via The Washington Post, August 6, 2024

--

This guy. Sounds like. fucking Moderate swing-state/rural/Midwestern/southern/"heartland"/working class white voter catnip. He sounds like he's also a very smart politician and strong campaigner. And he's apparently genuinely a good guy with a good record, too.

He sounds like he's going to do a really good job of appealing to voters in several of the big deal swing states without being from any of them specifically. Which means it doesn't feel like pandering to one of the states involved (and thereby spurning the others), which is also great.

(Also he was the one who started "weird" @ conservatives and I think we should take that seriously as a very good political instinct/move. Judging in large part by how it has so clearly hit an actual nerve with conservatives like so little else. Also hugely relevant: that post going around about how part of why conservatives are so upset about "weird" is because in the Midwest, "weird" specifically also implies anti-social or harmful behavior.)

Officially feeling more optimistic about Trump not winning in November

[thewwshow]

Rec Marijuana in Florida Almost on The Ballot

[thevalicemultiverse]

did you see this? trump was taken off the ballot in colorado for leading an insurrection. yeah, it’s weird, you’d think colorado would be ok with *high* crimes

Alice: I suppose Trump couldn't prove he was "blazing it" at the time -- I think that's the right term, anyhow. [shakes head] Nevertheless, if more states could please follow suit...

[codewithcode]

Group plans to put legalization of medical marijuana on Nebraska ballot

A group led by a Nebraska state lawmaker plans to again try to put the question of legalizing medical marijuana before state voters in November 2024. It will be the third time Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana launch a petition effort after two previous efforts failed. In 2020, the group came close to placing the issue on the general election ballot after meeting signature requirements. But…

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Voters to decide on legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio

Voters will decide in the upcoming election whether to legalize recreational marijuana for use by those at least 21 years old in Ohio. The proposal would allow those adults to buy and possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. They also could grow up to six plants individually and no more than 12 in a household with multiple adults. “Ohioans have seen the success of our medical…

[batboyblog]

I seen people on Twitter, leftist I think, accusing Harris of giving unfair sentences for weed possession in the past. Could I ask you how true that is since you seem knowledgeable about this?

hello

the true story is, in the 7 years Harris was San Fran DA 45 people were sentenced to state prison for marijuana convictions, compared to 135 in the 8 years under the DA before her.

the head of her drug enforcement department said “Our policy was that no one with a marijuana conviction for mere possession could do any (jail time) at all,”

Link

So the true story is that, years before "decriminalization" of possession was a thing people were pushing leftie DAs to do, Harris was doing in in the 2000s

Some people are mad she was against a 2010 ballot measure to legalize (she objected to their failure to have anything about driving while high) and remained neutral as part of her job as California AG on a 2016 ballot measure (the AG's office has to write official explainers of ballot measures that are sent to Cali voters and she felt it was unfair for her to weigh in)

But in 2018 she was endorsing legal weed in 2019 she pushed her own legalization bill that would also wipe out offensives she got a lot of good press from pot circles at first when she ran for President because she was clearly the most pro-weed person running

Indeed President Biden was more conservative on the issue, the only candidate not sure about legalization. Now President Biden has taken big steps pardoning everyone convicted of a federal offensive and working to reschedule Marijuana from a class I to a class III (ie proscription) drug, but Harris is likely to push for a full federal legalization which would be huge

[platinumgeek]

I haven't seen anyone, online or in person support Huckabee-Sanders for governor. But I'd be surprised if she didn't win. I'm 💯 sure a hole in time would crack open and suck all we know inside if this state went blue.

And yet I keep hoping there's a small chance that enough jaded republicans sit this election out and the ones that turn up either vote for Jones or vote for Harrington to spilt the vote.

[hussyknee]

Libs are like, "YOU CAN'T LET TRUMP WIN JUST BECAUSE BIDEN IS COMMITTING A GENOCIDE! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR SINGLE-ISSUE VOTERS", when the fact is that people are already really fucking angry at him for funding two wars during a severe cost of living crisis. Biden's pet dog has already gotten Israel and the US embroiled in a steadily escalating conflict with Houthis and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, and now Netanyahu is trying to ethnically cleanse two million Gazans by pushing them out of the country into Egypt, one of the countries the US gives billions of aid money to make nice with Israel and help them trap the Palestinians. Egypt is already mad about this (although Idk what they expected lol) and if Israel creates a border conflict with them, Iran might press their advantage and then the whole region descend into an all-out war in which the US is embroiled. At which point oil prices will jump, the US economy get even worse, more tax money funnelled into TWO wars, one of which is due to the genocide.

People might not care about Muslims living thousands of miles away, but they have some very strong opinions about putting food on the table. At this point there's a pretty significant shift in the Black community towards Trump because Biden has INCREASED funding for police, is supporting Cop City that someone DIED protesting, and hasn't made a dent in mass incarceration (the marijuana pardon was fucking hilarious in a depraved way). The right has also been weaponizing Black people's resentment against Latino "illegal aliens" and Biden's "concessions" towards them, when actually his immigration policies have barely been less draconian than Trump's all this time. The reason he's making those concessions is that he has to look more progressive than him, except he's also been slowly escalating ICE crackdowns, keeping kids in cages and building a border wall. So the Latin voters are entirely fed up with him too.

So far, he's lost the Muslim vote, the Latin vote, the Black vote, the youth vote (people of ages 18 to 35 are the most outraged at the genocide in Gaza), and they're hemorrhaging the working class votes. These are the extremely angry and betrayed people the liberals are currently working overtime screaming at about Trump "bringing the death of democracy", like democracy means anything to them compared to losing jobs, money, visas, family members, health (Biden's first and ongoing genocide is disabled people due to his COVID policies), social infrastructure and money.

Y'all said Blue Not Matter Who and elected a career racist and known incompetent who supported segregation, was an architect of mass incarceration, got Clarence Thomas elected to the Supreme Court and spewed rhetoric against Arabs so genocidal that motherfucking Menachem Begin was like "....bro." And you got exactly what you paid for. If Trump gets on the ticket next year he's going to win, and no amount of screaming at people online is going to change that. So I suggest you start organising now. The age of trying to create a revolution at the ballot box is over.

[mariacallous]

If Tumblr doesn't know North Carolina is flippable, wait until they find out that - thanks to a combo of abortion and marijuana being on the ballot and Never Trump Republicans - Florida is now in play for the Democrats, too.