Voting across the nation 11-2-2010

October 7, 2010

Mass: Get out and vote for marijuana reform!

Dear MPP Supporter :

November 2, 2010 will be a very eventful night for marijuana reform. Voters in South Dakota and Arizona will vote on medical marijuana initiatives. Oregon voters will be given the opportunity to decide if they want to allow safe and reliable access to medical marijuana by voting for dispensaries. And who can forget California? As you are no doubt aware, California voters will be given the historic opportunity to vote â??yesâ?� on Prop 19, which would allow cities in California to tax, regulate, and control marijuana. Finally, some of the good people of Massachusetts will be asked whether they think marijuana should be treated as a taxed and regulated commodity, much like alcohol, on public policy questions on the ballot around the state.

Thanks to MassCann, many communities across Massachusetts will have public policy questions on the ballot. Some of these questions will ask whether the state senator or representative, or both, should support taxing and regulating marijuana. Some of them will ask if the state senator or representative should support medical marijuana. Although these public policy questions will not change law, they can certainly open the eyes of elected officials so that they will finally see that sensible changes to Massachusettsâ??s marijuana policy are an important issue to the voters.

Voters in the First Middlesex and the Norfolk state Senate districts, as well as those in the Seventh Essex, Eighth Essex, Third Middlesex, Thirteenth Middlesex, Thirteenth Norfolk, Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket, First Franklin, and Third Hampshire House districts will be able to voice their opinions on whether Massachusetts should tax and regulate marijuana. Additionally, many voters across the state will also be able to vote to allow the sick and suffering of Massachusetts to use and possess marijuana without fear of arrest and prosecution, so long as they have their doctor's recommendation. Please see MassCannâ??s website for more information about these questions. To find out what district you live in, please visit the Massachusetts legislatureâ??s website and enter the required information.

Thank you so much for all your energy and support. And remember, get out and vote!

I hope every measure to legalize, decriminalize, medicalize, etc., goes through. Every state that makes hemp a little less illegal adds strength and legitimacy to the struggle for nationwide legalization.

Years ago, California legalized mendical marijuana. Since then, 14 other states and DC have followed suit. Guess what? The world didn't end, and a lot of suffering people got access to a drug that really helps them.

Once again, California stands at the threshold of a new milestone; real legalization, even as other states join in with more medical proposals on the verge of becoming law.

This is no time to stay home and be quiet. Volunteer to help the organizations working to free the weed. There is always something you can do.

On a personal level, I've stood outside shopping centers and handed out pamphlets for 19. I've handed out hundreds, maybe thousands. I just said "Would you consider a yes vote on proposition 19?"

Most people who knew what I was talking about already had! :) Others got voter registration forms, and were quite enthusiastic about voting for something that mattered to them. Young people were particularly positive about it.

People who were against it just walked on, and were polite. Only a few debated me, and were polite even then. Even people who don't want it legalized understand that the war on drugs is a massive tragedy.

Get out there. Talk to your friends. Post updates on facebook. Make it happen.

â??Be the change you want to see in the world.â?�-Gandhi

Thanks for that Willy ...:rastasmoke: