Pubdate: Sat, 15 Feb 2014
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2014 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Donna Brazile
Note: Donna Brazile is a senior Democratic strategist.

MARIJUANA SWEEPS THE COUNTRY, EVEN SOUTH

It seems marijuana - at least for medical use - is sweeping the 
nation. More than 20 states and the District of Columbia have either 
legalized medical marijuana or decriminalized its possession, and in 
two states, Colorado and Washington, voters recently legalized its 
recreational use. The Denver Post even appointed a Marijuana editor.

The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, 
D.C., found in September that, "For the first time in more than four 
decades of polling ... a majority (52 percent) of Americans favor 
legalizing the use of marijuana." In June, they found that nearly 
half of Americans had smoked marijuana, up from 40 percent three 
years ago - and 12 percent had done so recently.

Half of baby boomers now favor legalization. And 72 percent of 
Americans say it isn't worth the federal government's time and money 
to enforce federal laws against marijuana. Agreement on this last 
point breaches even the partisan divide. Rather, the division is 
between conservatives in both parties on one side, and moderates and 
liberals on the other.

But what about the Bible Belt - the Deep South? In 2010, CNBC found 
that "in most states legalization is not even on the horizon," while 
some were "vehemently opposed." Florida and Louisiana were the two 
most "cannabis nongratis" states. Florida has the toughest 
anti-marijuana laws. CNBC found its marijuana laws were only "getting tougher."

Except that today, the reverse is true. Last month, the Florida 
Supreme Court approved the language for a constitutional amendment to 
legalize medical marijuana three days before citizens gathered enough 
signatures to place it on the November ballot. And NORML, a group 
working to reform marijuana laws, reports an American Civil Liberties 
Union poll found that 53 percent of Louisianans favor legalizing 
recreational marijuana. Support for legalizing marijuana "is blooming 
in the South," it said.

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, made a public 
apology for an article he wrote for Time magazine in 2009, opposing 
legalizing pot. "I didn't look hard enough," he said, "until now."

Dr. Gupta now finds compelling medical evidence that marijuana does 
have medical uses. And in some cases, marijuana is the only recourse.

In 1982, Georgia enacted the Medical Marijuana Necessities Act, (now 
called the Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Program). It 
cited restrictive federal laws that impeded clinical trials for 
medical marijuana and "insufficient funding," to properly explore 
medical marijuana. Now, like Dr. Gupta says, the evidence is in.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom