Proposition 19, de Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, heeft geen meerderheid gehaald in Californië. Ruim 46 procent van de kiezers stemde voor, bijna 54 procent tegen. Vandaag al beginnen campagnes om regulering van cannabis in 2012 op het stembiljet te krijgen.

Natuurlijk is er teleurstelling bij activisten en voorstanders van Proposition 19, maar optimisme over de toekomst overheerst. Ethan Nadelmann, voorzitter van de Drug Policy Alliance, wijst op de ruime steun die het voorstel de afgelopen maanden kreeg van maatschappelijke organisaties.

Nadelmann: “Prop. 19 has elevated and legitimized the discourse around marijuana policy like nothing ever before. This is the first time major elected officials and labor unions and civil rights organizations have endorsed a marijuana legalization measure. The debate is less about whether to legalize marijuana and increasingly about how to legalize marijuana.”

De uitkomst van de stemming:

Aantal stemmen tegen: 4,014,580 (53,9%)

Aantal stemmen voor: 3,443,358 (46,1%)

(Bron: Ballotpedia)

Regulering van cannabis is een mainstream issue geworden, concludeert Ethan Nadelmann en de toekomst biedt alleen maar kansen: “Demographics, economics and principle are all on our side.”
Ook bij NORML, de grootste Amerikaanse organisatie voor hervorming van de cannabiswetten, is van verslagenheid geen sprake. Vice voorzitter Paul Armentano:

“Social change doesn’t happen overnight, and in this case we are advocating for the repeal of a criminal policy that has existed for over 70 years federally and for nearly 100 years in California. We are taking on the establishment and those who have vested interests in maintaining this longstanding failed policy. Yet, despite these odds, we have momentum and an unparalleled coalition of supporters – from law enforcement personnel, to civil rights groups, to organized labor, to lawyers, clergy, and public health professionals. In just a few short months, this campaign moved public opinion forward nationally, and led to the signing of historic legislation here in California that will end the arrest and prosecution of tens of thousands of minor marijuana offenders.”

In Boulder, Colorado wordt vandaag al de campagne gepresenteerd voor een wetsvoorstel om cannabis te legaliseren bij de verkiezingen van 6 november 2012. Meer informatie vind je op legalize2012.com.

Paul Armentano van NORML: “In the near future there will be a slew of other states deciding on measures similar to Prop. 19 in their state houses and at the ballot box. And no doubt here in California, lawmakers in 2011 will once again be debating this issue, as will the voters in 2012.”

Zie ook: California’s Proposition 19 Rejected by Voters
(ABC News, 3 november 2010)

Zie ook: Voters Nationwide Decide Marijuana Law Reform Measures
(NORML Blog, 3 november 2010)

Zie ook: Marijuana legalization campaign for 2012 starts tomorrow if Proposition 19 passes or not
(Westword Blog, 2 november 2010)