Chronicle AM: Global Marijuana Marches, Voters Split on Legalization in MA Poll, More ... (5/9/16)

They marched for weed in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janiero, New York and Toronto, and many other cities; a Massachusetts poll shows a dead heat for legalization there, Missouri looks set to vote on medical marijuana this year, and more.

Massachusetts Poll Shows Voters Evenly Split on Legalization Initiative. A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll has a ballot proposal to legalize marijuana trailing narrowly, but within the poll's margin of error. The poll had support at 43%, with 46% opposed. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points. This is a sobering poll result for legalization fans; initiative experts like to see support in the 60% or above range before a campaign begins.

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana Local Issues on California June Ballot. Two northern California counties and two northern California cities will be voting on medical marijuana-related issues in the June 7 election. In Nevada County, Measure W would prohibit all outdoor marijuana grows and limit indoor grows to 12 plants; in Yuba County, Measure A would allow limited outdoor marijuana cultivation and Measure B would authorize one dispensary for every 20,000 residents; in Sacramento, Measure Y would impose a 5% gross receipts tax on cultivation and manufacturing businesses (requires two-thirds majority); and in Davis, Measure C would allow the city to impose a tax of up to 10% on businesses selling marijuana, although it doesn't currently allow them.

New Approach Missouri Medical Marijuana Initiative Campaign Hands in Signatures. Supporters of the group's medical marijuana initiative handed in some 260,000 raw signatures Sunday. They only need 167,000 valid voter signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Even if 30% of the signatures are disqualified, campaigners would still have enough to qualify.

Drug Testing

Alaska Republicans Endorse Drug Testing Welfare Recipients. At its annual convention at the end of April, the state Republican Party endorsed mandatory drug testing of welfare recipients. The notion was voted in as a plank in the state party platform.

International

Global Marijuana Marches All Over the Place. This past weekend was the date for the annual world-wide Global Marijuana March, and march they did in an estimated 829 cities in 72 countries. Thousands came out in Buenos Aires, thousands more in Rio de Janeiro, thousands more in Cologne, Germany, and an estimated 20,000 in Toronto, among others. The US also saw marijuana marches in Texas and New York City, among other places.

Colombia Authorizes Use of Glyphosate for Manual Coca Fumigation. Less than a year after the country banned the aerial spraying of the herbicide glyphosate to kill coca plants, Colombia's National Narcotics Council has authorized the use of the plant-killer in manual eradication. The move comes as coca cultivation is reportedly on the rise in some parts of the country.