On an otherwise spectacular evening for drug law reform, and amid what appear to be victories for decriminalization in Flint and Ypsilanti, voters in Arkansas defeated Issue 5, an initiative to allow medical marijuana, and Oregonians fail to approve their own statewide legalization measure.
LEAP speaker and former federal agent Jamie Haase on Arkansas:
"While medical marijuana consistently
polls at 70-80% support nationwide, no one thought it was going to be easy
passing a medical marijuana law in the South. However, the close election
result tonight does show that there is a large and growing constituency of
supporters here and that this is an issue that needs to be taken seriously by
politicians. While people who use medical marijuana with their doctors'
recommendations are still at risk of being arrested in Arkansas, we know that
the day when the law will allow medical professionals rather than politicians to
make medical decisions is closer than ever."
LEAP Executive Director and 36-year police veteran Neill Franklin on Oregon:
"We had, of course, hoped to complete the trifecta for marijuana legalization wins tonight, and the fact that we fell short in Oregon is disappointing. But the voters of Colorado and Washington have shown that, just as occurred during the repeal of alcohol prohibition, the states will be the ones setting the standard for nationwide reform."
Journalists wishing to arrange interviews with LEAP speakers should contact Tom Angell at media@leap.cc or Darby Beck at darby@leap.cc.
No comments:
Post a Comment