Oregon Not Happening
Oregon's medical marijuana dispensary initiative is down 58%-42%, with 55% of precincts reporting.
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Arizona Down Slightly, But Too Soon to Fret
Arizona's medical marijuana initiative is down slightly, 50.5%-49.5%, but with only 15% of precincts reporting. I'm still predicting victory in Arizona, but we'll see.
Blog
South Dakota Not Happening
With more than 80% of precincts reporting, South Dakota's medical marijuana initiative is losing 60-40. This is a substantial drop from 2006, when the initiative won 48%.
Blog
Prop 19 Election Night Update
I wrote this for another post, but people seem to be clicking on this one, so I'm reprinting and updating here.
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Prop 19 is Highlight of 160 Measures on State Ballots
California voters decide today whether to make their state the first to legalize recreational marijuana, drawing worldwide attention atop the 160 ballot measures in 37 states that also included divisive proposals to slash taxes and ban abortion.
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California's Prop 19: The Golden State's Golden Egg
California's proposition 19 -- or Prop 19 as most refer to it -- has been in the spotlight this election day 2010, bringing particular attention to marijuana and California. It's not just Californians who are talking, either, as the whole nation seems to have an opinion on the controversial measure that would make the possession and cultivation of marijuana legal in the state. If passed, Prop 19 would also authorize cities and counties to regulate and tax commercial marijuana production and sales.
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Voter Voices: If Prop. 19 Brings California Money, I Can Support Marijuana Legalization
The Los Angeles Times talks to voters about Proposition 19.
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Prop 19 Gets Props from Celebrities, Little Old Ladies and Twitter
One of the biggest terms being tweeted today is the phrase "Prop 19." Apparrently Twitter is abuzz with the possibility of California legalizing marijuana.
Chronicle
drug harm comparison chart, from the Lancet study
Alcohol More Harmful Than Heroin or Crack, British Study Finds
The controversial Professor David Nutt is at it again, this time with a study ranking drugs, legal and illegal, by the harm they cause users and society. There are some surprises there.
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California Looks for Cash Under Prop. 19
Proposition 19 would allow local governments to tax and regulate its commercial production, distribution and sale. At stake is the potential for "hundreds of millions of dollars annually" in new revenue, according to the ballot language posted on the California Secretary of Stateâs website. San Jose, the center of Silicon Valley, and at least 10 more cities have measures on their ballots today proposing taxes on pot crops and sales if Proposition 19 passes. Californians consume about 1 million pounds of pot annually, according to the stateâs tax administrator, the Board of Equalization.
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Voter Voices: Los Angeles Accountant Says Prop. 19 Will Draw Much-Needed Revenue
VoicesAudrey Yeboah is a 52-year-old accountant who lives in the West Adams neighborhood of L.A. She voted "yes" on Proposition 19 and said "I think if they legalize it, then it won't be as appealing to kids...And in the meantime we get paid tax dollars on it."
Chronicle
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New Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Crack Cocaine Now in Effect
New federal sentencing guidelines reducing, but not eliminating, the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses are now in effect.
Chronicle
Taita Juan
Colombian Shaman Arrested for Ayahuasca on Arriving in US
Indigenous tradition runs afoul of US drug laws... and now, a respected Colombian shaman is behind bars in Houston, charged as a drug criminal.
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Prop. 19: Exit Polls Show Voters Split by Age
Age is a major indicator of support for the measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use, according to the first wave of exit polling conducted for The Sacramento Bee and other media outlets by Edison Research.
Chronicle
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Iowa Pharmacy Board Says Marijuana is Medicine
Iowa's Board of Pharmacy has recognized that marijuana has medicinal uses. Now maybe the state legislature will act. Or not.
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Bring on Prop. 19: Stars Who Want Their Marijuana Legal
Proposition 19 would make California the first state to legalize marijuana, and plenty of celebrities have voiced their support.
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Prop. 19 Backer Richard Lee Not Ready to Count Out Pot Legalization
Lee, the pot entrepreneur behind Oaksterdam University -- and the driving fiscal force behind Proposition 19 -- was decidedly noncommittal when queried about electoral success. "We did a side-by-side robo poll vs. a live one. And the robo showed it winning and the live didn't," he said.
Latest News
Live from UC Berkeley: Are Students Voting for Prop 19?
Prop. 19 organizers are hoping that under-polled one-issue voters â like the college kids at Berkeley â will push them over the top. At a press conference in Oakland Tuesday morning, Aaron Houston, who heads up the group Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said it would be a "historic election" in which the youth turnout would push the marijuana measure over the top. The Bay Citizen headed to Berkeley to see what students are thinking about Prop. 19 and whether they are turning out to vote because of it.
Blog
Massive Youth Turnout Reported in San Diego
I just heard that young voter turnout from the universities in San Diego has been so huge that they ran out of ballots. If so, that would definitely be helpful for Prop 19.
Chronicle
Mexico's former president Vicente Fox supported Prop 19
Mexico Drug War Update
Last month was the bloodiest in Ciudad Juarez history with 352 people killed in prohibition-related violence. Four US citizens were among the dead. Hoping to stop the violence, Mexico's former president weighed in supporting California's Prop 19 legalization initiative.