Pubdate: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 Source: Seven Days Vermont (Burlington, VT) Copyright: 2004 Seven Days Vermont Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3327 Website: http://www.sevendaysvt.com/ Author: Peter Freyne Cited: Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) DOUGLAS' POT PROBLEM A just-released Zogby International Poll sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project -- www.mpp.org -- shows incredibly strong support among Vermonters for passage of medical marijuana legislation this year. According to the statewide poll, 71 percent support allowing the sick and dying to legally benefit from the medicinal properties of cannabis. The telephone poll of 502 randomly selected Vermonters was conducted March 19-22 by Zogby, one of the nation's most respected polling outfits. Last year, a medical marijuana bill easily swept through the Vermont Senate on a 22-7 bipartisan vote. Five Republicans, including the Senate GOP leader, Sen. John Bloomer, and Sens. Phil Scott, Bill Doyle, Dick Greenwood and Rob Ide supported it. As far as we know, none of them has since gone to Hell. Since 99 out of every 100 marijuana arrests in America are made under state laws, the Senate believed changing Vermont's pot law will "have the practical effect of protecting from arrest the vast majority of seriously ill people who have a medical need to use marijuana." But with the blessing of House Speaker Walter Freed, S.76 has been bottled up in the House Health and Welfare Committee ever since. Given the fact that our straight-arrow Republican governor Jim Douglas strongly opposes the legislation, the House leadership appears intent on never letting it reach the Guv's desk. Douglas' Democratic opponent, Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle, told Seven Days that as governor he'd "sign a medical marijuana bill in a heartbeat." According to Mayor Moonie, "Vermonters with a life-threatening illness should not face arrest because of an irrational state policy." Clavelle's hardly alone. On Town Meeting Day, 82 percent of Queen City voters supported a medical pot advisory question. Rarely, if ever, do 82 percent of the voters support anything. The landslide "yes" vote for the medical marijuana question was enough to change the position of Burlington State Rep. Bill Keogh. However, the moderate Democrat from Burlington's South End told Seven Days this week, "The bill is not moving at this time." Rep. Keogh said Tuesday that even with his switch, the vote in the House Health and Welfare Committee "is 6-5 against bringing up the medical marijuana bill." Statewide, the new Zogby Poll found that 71 percent of Vermonters support legalizing medical marijuana. Broken down by party, the pot bill has the support of 85 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of Independents and 50.3 percent of Republicans. That's right, a majority of folks who call themselves Republican support medical marijuana! One of the more interesting poll questions: "If Gov. Douglas signs the bill would you be more or less likely to vote for him, or would this make no difference in your vote?" About two-thirds of those polled said it won't change their vote for governor. However, 22.5 percent of Democrats said they would be more likely to vote for Jim Douglas if he signed the bill. In a 2004 gubernatorial election that promises to be a squeaker, attracting Democrat defectors has to be a top priority for Jimmy D. That's because even if every Republican in Vermont votes for him, he'll still be well short of the 50 percent threshold. Far be it from this writer to give advice to our beloved governor, but, hey, Jimbo, wake up, will ya? It's the 21st century! If the medical pot bill dies because you oppose it, Clavelle the Democrat will have just one more flaming arrow in his political campaign quiver. Mayor Moonie will paint you as a right-wing, John Ashcroft-style conservative extremist who lacks compassion for the sick and dying. And he'll have the poll data to prove you're out of touch with the people of your state. Hello? Signing legislation supported by a majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents simply does not have a downside. It would show Vermont voters you're not really a Bush puppet. And it just might get you enough Democrat and Independent votes to experience a second term on the Fifth Floor. P.S. The most interesting question in the Vermont Zogby Poll was the one dealing with public perception. Despite landslide support for legalizing medicinal marijuana, most respondents greatly underestimated the strong support the legislation has among their neighbors. Only 39.5 percent believe the majority of Vermonters support it. And 38.2 percent wrongly think the majority of Vermonters oppose it. As Marijuana Policy Project Communi-cations Director Bruce Mirken put it, "Clearly there's a divide between perception and reality." Mirken was hard-pressed to explain why so many people who support medical marijuana think so many of their neighbors do not. "I can only theorize," Mirken told Seven Days. "I think to some degree it may be a holdover from President Ronald Reagan's 'Just Say No' drug policy in the 1980s." Interesting, eh? - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake