BREAKING NEWS: Colorado’s Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act Qualifies for 2012 Ballot

Residents of Colorado will have the opportunity to vote in favor of ending marijuana prohibition this November. Today, the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act” was approved for the ballot by Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler. With this confirmation, Colorado now joins Washington as one of two states where measures specific to legalizing cannabis will appear on the electoral ballot.

Backers of the initiative had previously turned in over 160,000 signatures. However, the Secretary of State’s office on February 3 responded that petitioners still needed an additional 2,500 valid signatures from registered voters to place the initiative on the ballot. On February 17th, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted an additional 14,000 signatures, well in excess of what was required to meet that threshold. Today’s approval from the state cements their placement on this fall’s ballot.

The Colorado initiative seeks to allow for the limited possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults age 21 and over. The measure would further amend state law to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers.

The measure is supported by a broad coalition of reform organizations, including NORML, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, SAFER, Sensible Colorado, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the Drug Policy Alliance, and the Marijuana Policy Project.

“This is a very exciting prospect for marijuana law reform advocates,” states Erik Altieri, NORML’s Communications Coordinator, “Coloradans have already set the example for how to properly implement a state medical marijuana program and now they have the opportunity to lead the country yet again by being the first to end cannabis prohibition in their state. With their state pride and frontier mentality, the Centennial State stands a great chance of being the first state to declare an end to the war on cannabis consumers.”

Since its inception, the 2012 Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has been comprised of a broad-based coalition of state and national organizations that includes NORML. The NORML Board of Directors is expected to publicly endorse the initiative shortly.

More information on the initiative can be found at the campaign’s webpage here and on their Facebook here.

WA: New Poll Shows 47% of Likely Voters Support I-502, 15% Undecided

A new survey of likely Washington state voters by Public Policy Polling shows 47% percent support I-502, an initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use. Only 39% of respondents were opposed and 15% remained undecided.

New Approach Washington, the group backing the initiative, turned in about 278,000 valid signatures at the end of January, a little over 20,000 more than required to qualify for the ballot. Since the legislature has declined action on the initiative, it will almost certainly go before voters in Washington this November.

For more information and updates on I-502, visit New Approach Washington’s website here.

You can view the full poll from PPP by clicking here.

This Week in Weed: February 19th – 25th

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The newest installment of “This Week in Weed” is now streaming on NORMLtv.

This week, states that implement medical marijuana programs see a drop in suicides and Colorado activists turn in what should be the final batch of signatures to get the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act” on the ballot in November.

Be sure to tune in to NORMLtv every week to catch up on the latest marijuana news. Subscribe to NORMLtv or follow us on Twitter to be notified as soon as new content is added.

Breaking News: Marijuana Law Reform Measures Move Forward In New Hampshire

A pair of House bills that seek to dramatically reform the state’s marijuana laws are pending votes on the House floor.

On Tuesday, members of the House Criminal Justice Committee voted 9 to 7 in favor of HB 1526, which reduces the penalties for minor marijuana possession offenses (up a half ounce) from a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine to a nominal monetary penalty ($250 for the first offense), no arrest, and no criminal record.

House members are also anticipated to decide imminently the fate of HB 1705, which seeks to allow adults age 21 or over to use marijuana legally in their home.

Both measures will soon be voted on by the full House. If you reside in New Hampshire, please contact your member of the House and urge their support for these marijuana law reform measures. NORML’s ‘Take Action’ page has legislative alerts for HB 1526 here and for HB 1705 here.

Get active; get NORML!

Study: Passage Of Medical Marijuana Laws Correlated With Fewer Suicides

[Editor's note: This post is excerpted from this week's forthcoming NORML weekly media advisory. To have NORML's news alerts and legislative advisories delivered straight to your in-box, sign up here.]

The enactment of statewide laws allowing for the limited use of cannabis therapeutically is associated with reduced instances of suicide, according to a discussion paper published recently by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany.

Researchers at Montana State University, the University of Colorado, and San Diego State University assessed rates of suicide in the years before and after the passage of statewide medical marijuana laws.

Authors found, “The total suicide rate falls smoothly during the pre-legalization period in both MML (medical marijuana law) and non-MML states. However, beginning in year zero, the trends diverge: the suicide rate in MML states continues to fall, while the suicide rate in states that never legalized medical marijuana begins to climb gradually.”

They reported that this downward trend in suicides in states post-legalization was especially pronounced in males. “Our results suggest that the passage of a medical marijuana law is associated with an almost 5 percent reduction in the total suicide rate, an 11 percent reduction in the suicide rate of 20- through 29-year-old males, and a 9 percent reduction in the suicide rate of 30- through 39-year-old males,” they determined.

Authors theorized that the limited legalization of cannabis may “lead to an improvement in the psychological well-being of young adult males, an improvement that is reflected in fewer suicides.” They further speculated, “The strong association between alcohol consumption and suicide-related outcomes found by previous researchers raises the possibility that medical marijuana laws reduce the risk of suicide by decreasing alcohol consumption.”

They concluded: “Policymakers weighing the pros and cons of legalization should consider the possibility that medical marijuana laws may lead to fewer suicides among young adult males.”

Full text of the discussion paper, “High on Life: Medical Marijuana Laws and Suicide,” is available online here.