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Happy 4/20

As support for marijuana prohibition continues to hemorage and calls for legalization reverberate louder than ever before, the 4/20 marijuana holiday has become much more than the official day to get stoned. Recent years have brought frenzied media coverage and cable TV specials, in addition to the famed improptu pot parties that just seem to escalate each year. It's a phenomenon, the very existence of which perfectly humiliates the great drug war army. Today we celebrate the culture that thrives despite decades of persecution and renew our commitment to the fight for freedom. A few links:

*Norm Stamper wants all you 4/20 revelers to Put Down That Joint and Pick Up a Pen, although maybe I should have mentioned this to you earlier in the day. Do not, I repeat, do not send letters to the editor if you're stoned off your ass.

*D.C.'s medical marijuana law takes another big forward step. This was a bit of a 4/20 surprise from the D.C. Council. We actually would have preferred that they wait a couple more weeks, so we'd have more time to push for amendments. If the law ultimately takes effect under the current regulations, we'll have some annoying problems. Nevertheless, the inevitable emergence of medical marijuana in the Nation's Capital is something to celebrate.

*A new AP-CNBC poll completely pukes all over our pot party. I'd like to know how they phrased the legalization question to come up with only 33% support. Every other recent poll is in the 40's. I call bullshit on this. A new CBS poll says 44%. That's more like it.

*You can download the book Marijuana is Safer today only. Click here.

*Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley is doing his best to interfere with California's legalization initiative. Someone give him a hug.

*Finally, since marijuana isn't truly legal yet anywhere in America, please take a few minutes to educate yourself about dealing with police. Click the link, dude. You'll love it. I swear.

Will the Economic Argument Help Legalize Marijuana? Yes.

It's been the most prominent talking point for marijuana reform in recent months, but can the promise of tax revenue really convince people to support legalization? A new poll attempted to find out:

AP-CNBC Poll: Legalizing pot won't boost economy

LOS ANGELES — Few people see legalized marijuana as a way to boost the economy and create jobs, according to an Associated Press-CNBC poll.

About a quarter of those polled said legalized pot would lead to more jobs in their communities; 57 percent said there would be no effect. About a third think the economy would improve, while 46 percent foresee no impact.
…
And while 62 percent approve of states taxing the drug, with people from the West most likely to back the idea, only a third felt the levies would make a significant contribution to state budgets.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can get 62% to approve of taxation, you're heading hard in the right direction. The AP headline pours cold water on the argument's viability, but the goal here was never to convince everyone that legalizing marijuana would end the damn recession. The point is to increase support for taxing marijuana.

Given the poor showing for the "create jobs" argument specifically, maybe we want to lean away from that and just emphasize tax revenue and savings. The whole idea of new marijuana-related jobs wouldn't impress our target demographic anyway. They are people who generally don't like marijuana and just want to hear less about it. Hopefully, we can sell them on supporting legalization in exchange for a little bit of tax revenue and a lifetime of not having to watch these massive initiatives come along every two years for the rest of their life.

Ultimately, the reality of marijuana reform messaging is that there's no silver bullet. Some arguments poll better than others, but when you actually talk to casual supporters, they're often oblivious to half the arguments anyway. There are dozens of distinct and sufficient reasons to legalize marijuana and our goal is simply to connect with swing voters one way if not another. The only arguments to really avoid are those that only make sense to people who already love the stuff.
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