Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. to Vote on Marijuana Legalization

Measures to legalize recreational marijuana will be on the ballot next week in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. The votes come two years after recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington state.

Conservative opposition to legalization has eroded, The New York Times reports. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is among those supporting decriminalization of marijuana, the article notes. Democrats are less concerned about being labeled soft on crime if they support legalization, now that it is increasingly being seen as a way to reduce prison overcrowding and law enforcement budgets.

Supporters of legalization are getting financial help from the new legal marijuana industry, the article notes. Pro-legalization groups have outdone opponents’ fundraising efforts by more than 25 to 1 in Oregon, and by 9 to 1 in Alaska. Much of the pro-legalization money in Alaska has come from the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C. Fundraising for the pro-legalization measure in Oregon has been spearheaded by the Drug Policy Alliance, based in New York.

In Florida, a measure that would allow marijuana for certain medical uses is opposed by casino executive Sheldon Adelson, who has contributed $5 million to battle the measure. Opponents of the legalization measure in Oregon have raised only about $179,000.

Kevin Sabet, a co-founder of a national anti-legalization group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said he thinks the experiences in Colorado and Washington state are exposing flaws in legal marijuana, such as greater exposure for young people and questions of highway safety. “Legalization in practice has been the biggest enemy of legalization,” he said.