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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 17 November 2020

Americans across party lines, regions embrace marijuana

Continued from Front na supporters to educate raises tax money to help
the public about the ben- prop up governments that
The 2020 election helped efits of cannabis. are hurting because of
prove how broadly ac- "There has been a consid- business closures tied to the
cepted marijuana has erable change in the politi- COVID-19 pandemic.
become throughout the cal demographic because But some oppose broad le-
United States, with meas- people are educated, be- galization.
ures to legalize recrea- cause they know Aunt Mar- Republican Gov. Kristi
tional pot also breezing to garet tried it for her cancer Noem of South Dakota ar-
victory in progressive New and she can eat," said Ri- gued that marijuana leads
Jersey, moderate Arizona chard Abromeit, owner of people to use other, more-
and conservative Mon- Montana Advanced Car- addictive drugs, while law
tana. Fifteen states have egivers. enforcement officers and
now broadly legalized it, Advocates' next goal is to prosecutors in Montana as-
while 36 states allow medi- get marijuana removed serted that legal pot would
cal marijuana. Marijuana cigarettes are seen at the Billings, Mont. medical from a federal list of illegal lead to more drugged
Voters in Mississippi over- marijuana dispensary, on Nov. 11, 2020. drugs with no accepted driving and other crimes,
whelmingly approved Associated Press medical use and high po- while exacerbating mental
medical marijuana this Marijuana Policy Project, hale." tential for abuse. The list- health issues.
month, giving the drug an- which favors legalization. In early 2019, Kamala Harris ing prevents labs from The Gallup Poll says just
other foothold in the South. "All it's done is incarcerate — now the vice president- researching potential med- under half of Republicans,
A Gallup Poll released Nov. millions of Americans, it has elect — was asked about ical remedies using mari- people who identify as po-
9 indicated that 68% of perpetuated racism in this her prior marijuana use dur- juana. litically conservative and
Americans favor legalizing country, and perhaps the ing a radio interview and House Majority Leader those who attend church
marijuana — double the worst injustice of all is that acknowledged: "I did in- Steny Hoyer told lawmak- on a weekly basis say they
approval rate in 2003. That it's deprived us of medical hale." ers last week that he would think marijuana should be
wide margin was evident in marijuana research." Brendan Johnson, a former hold a vote in December legal.
the election, with marijua- Marijuana is still illegal at U.S. attorney in South Da- on a bill that would decrim- The Church of Jesus Christ
na measures passing with the federal level, hurting kota who supported the inalize cannabis, create a of Latter-day Saints, wide-
strong bipartisan support. veterans who can't be pre- state's marijuana initia- process to expunge non- ly known as the Mormon
In South Dakota and Mon- scribed medical pot at Vet- tives, said the campaign violent pot convictions and church, strongly opposed
tana — where Republicans erans Affairs clinics, he said. focused on the fact that in remove the drug from the Arizona's broad legalization
swept to victory in the key They "come home with recent years 10% of arrests Controlled Substances Act. measure despite support-
races — recreational mari- chronic pain and we're in the state were for mari- It's not clear if the bill could ing medical marijuana in
juana passed with at least pushing them to opioids," juana, and most were small pass both chambers. Utah.
16 percentage points more Schweich said. "That's cra- amounts. The outcome of two runoff Chris Nylen, 50, of Flag-
support than Democratic zy. That's unpatriotic and it's "We have a real prob- elections in Georgia could staff, Arizona, is a Trump
President-elect Joe Biden a disgrace." lem here where we have determine how the issue supporter who voted to
received. South Dakota Support for legalization was criminalized an entire gen- might fare in the Senate, legalize recreational mari-
also approved medical around 25% in 1992 when eration of South Dakotans, where Republican Majority juana. She said her feelings
pot, which outpolled Biden then-presidential candi- and we're paying a price," Leader Mitch McConnell evolved after a CBD pill,
by 34 percentage points. date Bill Clinton tried to Johnson said. has impeded its progress. made from hemp and pre-
"We've waged a war avoid answering questions The owner of a chain of Other states are expected scribed by a veterinarian,
against this plant for a cen- about whether he had medical marijuana dispen- to consider marijuana leg- eased her dog's anxiety
tury and by any reason- used marijuana before fi- saries in Billings, Montana, islation next year, which and arthritis.
able metric, that war has nally saying in a television credited passage of the could put more pressure on "I'm so old school," she said.
been an abject failure," interview that he had ex- recreational marijuana ini- Congress to act. "I personally don't have a
said Matthew Schweich, perimented with the drug, tiative to a yearslong cam- Supporters argue that the desire for it, but (I'm) seeing
deputy director of the didn't like it and "didn't in- paign by medical marijua- industry creates jobs and the benefits for my dog."q

U.S. appeals court weighs law on supervised injection sites

By MARYCLAIRE DALE group, had announced mission is anything but that.
Associated Press plans to open a site in "There will be cynical peo-
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A South Philadelphia in Feb- ple out there who will try to
federal appeals court be- ruary, but the opening was proclaim that (our) purpose
came the latest panel to thwarted by neighborhood was to promote drug use,"
wrestle with the nation's opposition and shutdowns Safehouse lawyer Ilana
opioid epidemic as judges linked to the coronavi- Eisenstein told the three-
reviewed a long-debated rus pandemic. McSwain judge panel. "Safehouse's
plan Monday to open a meanwhile pursued the purpose is … to provide life-
medically supervised injec- appeal. saving care for people suf-
tion site in Philadelphia. He argued in court again fering from addiction."
U.S. Attorney William Mc- Monday that the proposal The three-judge panel did
Swain, an appointee of violates a 1980s-era drug not indicate when it would
President Donald Trump, law known as the "crack- rule, but the case could
opposes the idea and house statute," which reach the U.S. Supreme
hopes to overturn the ap- makes it illegal to own or Court unless the Justice
In this Sept. 5, 2019 file photo, Wilfredo Carrasquillo, center, and proval of a federal judge operate a property for the Department under Presi-
other protesters demonstrate in support of a proposed supervised who heard the case last purpose of making, using dent-elect Joe Biden de-
injection site, outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. year. or distributing drugs. Safe- cides not to challenge the
Associated Press Safehouse, a nonprofit house founders say their case.q