Drug War Chronicle, 1172- Drug Policy on Election Day, International Moves, Harm Reduction Moves, more... TOC plus Lead Story!

[Bobbie Sellers]

Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1172 -- 11/8/22
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psm...@drcnet.org
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1172

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director, bor...@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

Table of Contents:

1. THESE FIVE STATES COULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA ON ELECTION DAY [FEATURE]
Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota all have
marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot next week.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/02/these_five_states_could_legalize

2. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
A Pentagon cop gets nailed peddling cocaine, a Memphis cop goes to
prison for ripping off and torturing alleged drug dealers, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/02/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

3. MD LEGALIZATION QUESTION POLLS WELL, AFGHAN SHISHA BAN, AUSTRALIA ACT
DECRIMINALIZES DRUGS, MORE... (10/31/22)
A Nevada judge orders marijuana removed from the state's Controlled
Substances Act, the Germans roll out a marijuana legalization plan,
British cops plan a crackdown on recreational drug users, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/oct/31/md_legalization_question_polls

4. OPIATE TREATMENT PROGRAM (OTP) BARRIERS, SCHUMER SAYS PROGRESS ON
SAFE BANKING ACT +, MORE... (11/1/22)
There's a drug crackdown going on in India's Punjab, Afghan drug prices
are rising despite questions about whether the Taliban ban is actually
happening, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/01/opiate_treatment_program_otp

5. BIDEN POT PARDONS HAVE BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT, AFGHAN OPIUM CROP UP,
MORE... (11/2/22)
A Colorado psychedelic initiative needs just a bit more support to get
over the top next week, the Missouri marijuana legalization initiative
is in the same boat, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/02/biden_pot_pardons_have_broad

6. BAD POLL FOR AR POT INITIATIVE, BRITISH MP CALLS FOR "MONKEY DUST"
RESCHEDULING, MORE... (11/3/22)
Colombia and the Czech Republic are both moving toward marijuana
legalization, late polling doesn't bode well for the Arkansas marijuana
legalization initiative, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/03/bad_poll_ar_pot_initiative

7. PA GOVERNOR SIGNS FENTANYL TEST STRIP BILL, ECUADOR DRUG GANG
VIOLENCE SPIKES, MORE... (11/4/22)
A late poll has good news for the Missouri marijuana legalization
initiative, drug gangs rampage in Ecuador, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/04/pa_governor_signs_fentanyl_test

8. NY LEGAL POT SHOPS SET TO OPEN BY YEAR'S END, IRISH DECRIM
RECOMMENDATION, MORE... (11/7/22)
A federal judge throws out a lawsuit seeking gun ownership rights for
medical marijuana patients, competing Bolivian coca grower factions
prepare to clash again this week, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/07/ny_legal_pot_shops_set_open

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================

1. THESE FIVE STATES COULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA ON ELECTION DAY [FEATURE]
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2022/nov/02/these_five_states_could_legalize

It is now less than a week until voters across the country head to the
polls for Election Day 2022, and by the time the smoke clears, five more
states could add themselves to the ranks of the legal marijuana states.
Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota have all
qualified legalization initiatives for the next week's ballot.

If all five efforts were to succeed, the number of legal marijuana
states would jump from 19 to 24, but with four of the five states being
among the most conservative in the country, victories are likely to be
hard-fought and narrow.

Organizers in a sixth state, Oklahoma, also gathered enough valid voter
signatures to qualify for the ballot, but delays in signature counting
by state contractors left t it unable to be certified by the official
deadline for the November ballot. It will get a vote either in a special
election or the next general statewide election.

Here is what we are looking at in each of the five states:

Arkansas

The Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment
(https://www.responsiblegrowtharkansas.com/about) from Responsible
Growth Arkansas would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of
marijuana by people 21 and over and create a system of licensed
marijuana cultivation, processing, distribution, and retail sales. It
would also allow existing medical marijuana infrastructure
(dispensaries, grow operations, etc.) to be integrated into the new
adult use market. The Arkansas Beverage Control Board would be the
regulatory agency.

Retail sales would face normal sales taxes plus an additional 10 percent
tax. Fifteen percent of tax revenues would go to law enforcement, 10
percent to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, five percent
to fund drug courts, and the remainder to go into the general fund.
There are no provisions for home cultivation or to promote social
equity, although there is language deferring a criminal background check
for people owning less than five percent of a marijuana business.

Recent polling
(https://www.marijuanamoment.net/support-for-arkansas-marijuana-legalization-initiative-falls-to-slim-majority-as-gop-lawmakers-urge-opposition-poll-finds/)
from Talk Business and Politics-Hendrix College showed the initiative
barely winning with 51 percent of the vote in a late October poll. The
same outfit had the initiative at 59 percent in an early October poll,
with the decline in support reflecting a rejection by Republican voters
as Election Day draws nearer, partisan divides sharpen, and the state's
Republican leadership attacks marijuana legalization.

Maryland

Question 4 (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2022RS/bills/hb/hb0001E.pdf)
would amend the state constitution by adding an article that allows
people 21 and over to use and possess marijuana and providing that the
General Assembly "shall provide for the use, distribution, possession,
regulation and taxation of cannabis within the state."

This is an amendment that came not from the people but from the
legislature, which passed it as House Bill 1 in April. The legislature
that same month also passed implementing legislation to go into effect
if the measure passes. The legislation, House Bill 837, which would set
legal possession limits at 1.5 ounces and allow for the home cultivation
of two plants. The bill would also automatically expunge convictions for
conduct that would be legal if the measure passes.

The amendment contains no language about regulation or taxation. That
will be left up to the legislature.

A March poll
(https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-goucher-poll-20220314-x33qb6q5ajb7bfxk7bipbe3iia-story.html)
had support for legalization at a healthy 62 percent and a Baltimore Sun
Media and University of Baltimore poll released Monday
(https://www.marijuanamoment.net/another-poll-shows-majority-support-for-maryland-marijuana-legalization-referendum-including-most-republicans/)
showed that support was remarkably stable over time, with 63 percent now
approving the initiative, including 54 percent of Republicans.

Missouri

Sponsored by Legalize Missouri 2022, Amendment 3
(https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/Petitions/2022-059.pdf)
would allow people 21 and over to possess up to three ounces of
marijuana and grow up to six flowering plants, as well as six immature
plants and six clones. The measure also provides for the automatic
expungement of nonviolent marijuana-related offenses.

The initiative also "seeks to broaden industry participation by small
business owners and among disadvantaged populations, including those
with limited capital, residents of high-poverty communities,
service-disabled veterans, and those previously convicted of nonviolent
marijuana offenses," according to Legalize Missouri 2022.

The initiative would tax retail sales at 6 percent, with localities
allowed to add a 3 percent sales tax. It also gives cities and counties
the option of disallowing retail sales via a popular vote.

It would also allow existing medical marijuana operations to seek
recreational sales licenses beginning December 8, with regulators
allowed up to 60 days to approve them, giving them an effective
head-start on newcomer competitors.

The measure had drawn organized opposition
(https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article265085069.html)
from within the cannabis community, with critics saying it does not do
enough to promote social equity, that it favors existing operators, and
that because it is a constitutional amendment, the legislature would
have little say.

In the final days of the campaign, the initiative is being attacked from
all sides
(https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2022-10-31/in-the-final-days-before-election-missouris-marijuana-amendment-is-getting-attacked-from-all-sides)
and is generating polling that is all over the place. Of three polls
(https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2022-10-04/does-missouri-want-legal-marijuana-polls-show-voters-are-closely-split-on-ballot-issue)
in the last six weeks, two had the initiative failing with 43 percent
and 48 percent of the vote, while a third had it winning with 62
percent. Somebody is right, but it will take an actual election to find
out who.

North Dakota

Sponsored by New Approach North Dakota, Initiated Statutory Measure No.
1
(https://ballotpedia.org/North_Dakota_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2022))
would allow people 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of marijuana,
four grams of concentrates and infused products, and grow up to three
plants at home, but not to consume it in public.

The measure includes specific child custody protections for parents who
use marijuana in accord with state law, but employers could continue to
prohibit marijuana use and there is no provision for expungement. New
Approach North Dakota says it intends to address that in the legislature
next year. The measure would also allow cities and counties to opt out
of allowing marijuana businesses.

The initiative also creates a regulatory framework for commercial
production and sales of marijuana with the Department of Health and
Human Services (or a different agency designated by the legislature)
developing rules and regulations and overseeing licensing of marijuana
businesses. Regulators would have until October 1, 2023, to come up with
rules for advertising, labeling, packaging, security, and testing standards.

There would be no new tax for marijuana, but the state's 5 percent
retail sales tax would apply to marijuana sales. Those tax revenues are
not designated for any particular fund. Commercial cultivators would
have to pay an annual $110,000 registration fee and retailers would have
to pay an annual $90,000 fee.

The number of retailers would be limited to 18 and the number of grow
facilities limited to seven. In a bid to reduce monopolistic tendencies
in the industry, no one person or entity could own more than one grow
facility or four retail stores.

Just four years ago, state voters rejected a marijuana legalization
initiative by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent, but that was a more
wide-open measure. There is no recent polling data for this measure.

South Dakota

Two years ago, voters approved a marijuana legalization initiative with
54 percent of the vote, only to see it thrown out in the state Supreme
Court for violating the state's one-subject rule for initiatives. (It
legalized marijuana and contained tax and regulatory provisions).
Initiated Measure 27
(https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/2022BrendanJohnsonIMAmendingTitle34(SixSections)Petition.pdf)
seeks to get past that hurdle by not establishing a tax or regulatory
structure for commercial sales. Instead, it would those issues for the
legislature to decide.

It would legalize the possession, transport, and distribution of up to
an ounce of marijuana by people 21 and over. It would also legalize the
home cultivation of up to three plants -- but only in localities where
there is no retail marijuana outlet, and there will not be any retail
marijuana outlets unless and until the legislature acts to allow them.

An August poll
(https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/statewide-poll-shows-referendum-on-recreational-marijuana-legalization-in-s-d-could-fail-in-november/)
had the initiative failing with only 44 percent of the vote, but that
poll may be a fluke. It had support in the state's most liberal and
populous region, the Sioux Falls metro area at only 38.6 percent. But in
2020, the Sioux falls metro area state Senate districts all reported at
least 57 percent approval for legalization and one had the highest
support of any district in the state at 72.7 percent. Still, a late
September-early October poll also had the initiative losing with only 47
percent of the vote. Given that voters approved a more expansive
legalization initiative in 2020 with 54 percent of the vote, these poll
numbers are real head-scratchers, but we will know next week how
accurate they are.



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___________________

It's time to correct the mistake:
Truth:the Anti-drugwar
<http://www.briancbennett.com>

Cops say legalize drugs--find out why:
<http://www.leap.cc>
Stoners are people too:
<http://www.cannabisconsumers.org>
___________________

bliss -- Cacao Powered... (-SF4ever at DSLExtreme dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the beans of cacao that the thoughts acquire speed,
the thighs acquire girth, the girth become a warning.
It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
--from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.