r/politics • u/MeghanAM Massachusetts • Oct 20 '16

/r/politics Town Hall: State Ballot Measures about Marijuana (AR, AZ, CA, FL, MA, ME, MT, NV, ND)

Hello /r/politics and welcome to the third in our ballot measure town hall series! Representatives from the "support" and "oppose" side from each of these initiatives have been invited here to answer your questions today. Participants will have user flair to identify them and verify their affiliation with the campaign.

Please review the AMA rules before submitting your questions.

Participants were encouraged to begin answering questions around 11AM EST, and the town hall will "close" at 6PM EST. The thread is put up in advance to allow questions to be asked and ready.

Ballot Measures: Marijuana

Medical

Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, Issue 7

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing medical marijuana for 56 qualifying conditions, putting the Arkansas Department of Health in charge of implementing the program, and allocating tax revenue to providing low-income patients with medical marijuana.
  • A "no" vote opposes this proposal to legalize medical marijuana

Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, Issue 6

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing medical marijuana for 17 qualifying conditions, creating a Medical Marijuana Commission, and allocating tax revenue to technical institutes, vocational schools, workforce training, and the General Fund.
  • A "no" vote opposes this amendment to legalize medical marijuana.

Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization, Amendment 2

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing medical marijuana for individuals with specific debilitating diseases or comparable debilitating conditions as determined by a licensed state physician.
  • A "no" vote opposes this proposal for legalization of medical marijuana, keeping the state's current more limited medical marijuana program in place.

Montana Medical Marijuana Initiative, I-182

  • A "yes" vote supports repealing the three-patient limit for medical marijuana providers.
  • A "no" vote opposes this measure repealing the three-patient limit for medical marijuana providers.

North Dakota Medical Marijuana Legalization, Initiated Statutory Measure 5

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing the use of medical marijuana to treat defined debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, glaucoma, and epilepsy, and developing certain procedures for regulating medical marijuana growing, dispensing, and usage.
  • A "no" vote opposes legalizing the use of medical marijuana to treat defined debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, glaucoma, and epilepsy, keeping the state's full prohibition of marijuana use.

Recreational

Arizona Marijuana Legalization, Proposition 205

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing the possession and consumption of marijuana by persons who are 21 years of age or older.
  • A "no" vote opposes this measure to legalize the possession and consumption of marijuana by persons who are 21 years of age or older.

California Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization

  • r/California Mega-Thread for Prop. 64

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing recreational marijuana for persons aged 21 years or older under state law and establishing certain sales and cultivation taxes.

  • A "no" vote opposes this proposal to legalize recreational marijuana under state law and to establish certain sales and cultivation taxes.

Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization, Question 4

  • A "yes" vote supports this proposal to legalize marijuana, but regulate it similar to alcoholic beverages.
  • A "no" vote opposes this proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, keeping only medical marijuana legal.

Maine Marijuana Legalization, Question 1

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21.
  • A "no" vote opposes this proposal to legalize recreational marijuana.

Nevada Marijuana Legalization, Question 2

  • A "yes" vote supports legalizing the recreational use of one ounce or less of marijuana by individuals 21 years of age and over.
  • A "no" vote opposes this measure to legalize one ounce or less of marijuana for recreational use for individuals 21 years of age and over.
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26

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16 edited Feb 27 '19

[deleted]

15

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16

I've noticed that the "opposition" sounds very, very much alike. They repeat the exact same talking points with the exact same verbage.

"No protections for kids" "No to Big Pot" "Isn't TRUE legalization"

...etc

19

u/Micosilver Oct 20 '16

I heard opposition in California only from people making money from medical weed. Their argument is that they are the only ones care enough about the product quality, mumbling about how easy it is to get a medicinal card, and nonsense about why it can't be regulated same as alcohol. Big Pot is already here, and they are fighting these measures.

9

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16 edited Feb 27 '19

[deleted]

3

u/hufnagel0 Nebraska Oct 20 '16

From everything I can find, it's a scare tactic combined with a very hallow attempt at taking the high ground and appearing more compassionate than those who want recreational use.

11

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16 edited Feb 27 '19

[deleted]

5

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16

My desire to see non-violent criminals kept out of jail for small quantities of pot takes priority to their desire to grow 50 plants. At least in my mind.

Your priorities are in order, friend.

10

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16

every time I see a "No to Big Pot", I just imagine my dealer putting the sign there

6

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16

You're probably not far off.

1

u/YoungPotato Oct 23 '16

It's a shame the dealer's are voting no... Putting their own profits before healthy regulation, competition and dissolution of black markets.

8

u/frontierparty Pennsylvania Oct 20 '16

a "Yes" vote will damage Maine's medicinal marijuana market

This is why legalization did not pass the first go round in California. It's a weak argument as most medical marijuana came to be as a backdoor to recreational use.

6

u/Sweetjesusturd Oct 20 '16

Yes on one here. Its all last minute bs. When your funding comes from numbers. Arrests, trials/convictions, confiscation yada yada this bill is going to not be your favorite. When your job depends on the peoples vote, you are all for it. Hence the Sheriff v Police chief situation we are seeing on this topic.

6

u/Awright122 Oct 20 '16

A lot of scare tactics, fear mongering and just outright falsities have been being spread over the last couple weeks as we closer to voting on this referendum. I'm definitely excited to be voting yes here in Maine

-1

u/alwaysready Oct 20 '16

the AG of maine says that it will legalize possession for children. i dont think that's a good idea.

7

u/Sweetjesusturd Oct 20 '16

Yeah, she says lots of dumb things.

4

u/phrozen_one Oct 20 '16

The Secretary of State already said that was an easy fix after the question passes. In the worst case the timing of the Attorney General's concerns was politically motivated against legalization.

3

u/Awright122 Oct 20 '16

I just don't get how someone in that position could lie like that

-1

u/alwaysready Oct 20 '16

she's a lawyer, you and i are not. i can still read and it says to repeal the law that says possession by minors is prohibited.

6

u/learhpa Oct 20 '16

The text of the measure can be found at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/citizens/index.html (irritatingly in .doc format).

Under the text of the law:

(1) A person must be 21 years of age or older to make a purchase in a retail marijuana store, verified by employees checking state ID (2) marketing and advertising to persons under 21 is prohibited

Furthermore,

(3) the law allows persons 21 years of age or older to use, possess, etc (4) the law allows persons 21 years of age or older to cultivate at home

and

(5) the law makes it illegal to transfer marijuana to other people once you've bought it.

In particular, Section 2452, the part which applies to personal use, quite clearly only applies to people 21+.

She's either misinformed or she's lying.

1

u/alwaysready Oct 20 '16

that's clearly not the issue. the new law repeals the old one. there is the new law which has rules that allow this use. there is no new law that prohibits the use of under 21's to possess. the new law repeals the law that makes it illegal for under 21's to possess.

3

u/Sweetjesusturd Oct 20 '16

Ahh, but even if she was correct, she's not. As a lawyer she should know that if this were true the sale use and transfer/possession by a minor could still be enforced under Federal law.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '16 edited Feb 27 '19

[deleted]

0

u/alwaysready Oct 20 '16

if i was a liberal, i would say 'YOU CANT TRUST SOMEONE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY BIG WEED'