Chronicle AM: OR Measure 91 Looking Good, FL Amendment 2 in Trouble, Iran Drug Executions, More (11/3/14)

It's looking good in Oregon, not so good in Florida; Guam's archbishop comes out against medical marijuana, a conservative PAC funded by the Koch brothers is seeking to peel off "stoner" votes from Democrats, there's cannabis club news from Barcelona and Uruguay, Iran drug executions are in the news, and more. Let's get to it:

Execution by hanging in Iran. (iranhr.net)

Oregon Measure 91 At 52% in Latest Poll. It looks like Oregon will be the next state to legalize marijuana. The latest SurveyUSA poll, released last week, has the Measure 91 legalization initiate winning with 52% of the vote. Only 41% said they were voting against it. That is generally in line with other recent polls. Late in September, SurveyUSA had Measure 91 under 50%, but leading by four points, with 16% undecided. In mid-October, an Oregon Public Broadcasting poll had the measure winning with 52%, again with 41% opposed. Only one recent poll, an Oregonian poll last week, had Measure 91 trailing. In that survey, 44% were in favor and 46% opposed, with 9% undecided. But the results were well within the poll's +/-5% margin of error, and it was also weighted toward older voters.

Medical Marijuana

Another Bad News Poll for Florida's Amendment 2. Yet another poll is out showing the medical marijuana initiative, Amendment 2, failing to achieve the 60% of the vote necessary to win.  A new SEA Polling and Strategic Design poll has support for the initiative at 55%. The initiative needs 60% because it is a constitutional amendment. Other recent polls have also shown the initiative coming up short.

On Eve of Election, Guam Archbishop Urges "No" Vote on Medical Marijuana. Guam Catholic Archbishop Anthony Apuron called over the weekend for his flock to vote against the US territory's legislatively-sponsored medical marijuana initiative. Apuron cited Pope Francis's concerns that marijuana is a drug and its effects on users. The island is about 85% Catholic.

Illinois Begins Second Round of Patient Registrations. The Illinois Department of Public Health has begun a second round of patient registrations for the state's medical marijuana program. As of last Saturday, people whose last names begin with M through Z can apply for a patient card. Patients whose last names begin with the letters A through L have been able to registers for several weeks already.

Drug Policy

Conservative PAC Courts "Stoner" Vote in Bid to Peel Votes from Democrats. In what The Nation's John Nichols calls "the most cynical ploy" of this year's election season, a Koch brothers-supported group, the American Future Fund (AFF), is using social media campaigns hailing marijuana legalization, "our progressive values," and third-party candidates to attack Democratic candidates and try to peel away Democratic votes in key races. In North Carolina, an AFF ad targets Democratic US Senate candidate Kay Hagan: "Don’t even think about voting for Kay Hagan," the ad says. "She doesn’t share our values. You want legalization of marijuana, she’s against it. You want to stop sending our troops overseas, she voted for it. Vote Sean Haugh: He shares our progressive values: pro-legalization, pro-environment, more weed, less war." Haugh is the Libertarian candidate and could be the spoiler in this close race. Click on the link to read the whole piece; it's a real eye-opener.

International

Iran, Saudi Arabia Execute More Drug Offenders. Saudi Arabia beheaded two people for drug smuggling last week. Pakistani national Mohammed Gul Rahma was executed for heroin smuggling, while Saudi national Mohammed bin Noun bin Nasser Al Dhufairi was executed for smuggling amphetamine pills. Meanwhile in Iran, authorities last week hanged five people convicted of drug smuggling. They were identified only by their initials.

Iran Says Nearly All Executions are for Drug Trafficking. Responding to criticism from the United Nations over its routine resort to the death penalty, Iranian officials explained that almost all executions in the country were for drug offenses. The UN cited at least 852 executions between July 2013 and June 2014. According to Iran Human Rights Council President Javad Larijani, 93% of them were for illegal drug smuggling.

Barcelona to Bar Under-21s from Cannabis Clubs. The Catalonia parliamentary health commission is set to raise the minimum age for membership in cannabis clubs from 18 to 21 when it meets on Thursday. It is also expected to bar new clubs from opening near schools and day care centers. The new rules come after months of discussions between health officials, parliament, and club representatives in the wake of an August crackdown that saw 49 of the clubs closed. The remaining 300 clubs will now have to be licensed and will also have to wait 15 days before supplying marijuana to new members.

Registration Begins for Uruguay Cannabis Growers' Clubs. Registration has begun for marijuana growing clubs under the country's marijuana legalization law. Licensed clubs with up to 45 members will be able to grow 99 plants each year. People can already individually grow up to six plants at home. Under the law, each club member can produce a little over a pound (480 grams) a year.

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