Bilan des élections USA, sur le plan du canna thérapeutique

[daniel]

Bilan des élections, sur le plan des drogues (canna thérapeutique)
Au moins 17 initiatives (référendums) sur 20 sont passées.

Rob Kampia, directeur exécutif du Marijuana Policy Project : « la leçon de
cette journée électorale est que les initiatives modérées pour le cannabis
thérapeutique sont toutes passées, que les initiatives visant à réduire les
peines pour les usagers récréatifs de cannabis sont aussi toutes passées ».



---message transféré---

Bonjour,
Pour information, ci dessous un message de Dana Beal aux USA qui fait le
bilan des votes sur les propositions en matière de drogues, et qui espère
que les européens sauront marquer le coup le 7 mai 2005, lors de la marche
mondiale pour le cannabis.

Bien cordialement,






The re-election of the American Dictator, Bush, makes the situation of
international drug reform much more difficult. It is urgent that we have
300 cities worldwide--major cities--with marijuana marches May 7. Reformers
in the U.S. have to be able to point to a worldwide movement to convince
the media not to belittle us after this train-wreck. We must look at the
failures of the Kerry camp to exploit the potential advantage they had
with drug reform and harm reduction as revealed by the following:
From the MPP:
At Least 17 of 20 Marijuana Initiatives Pass. Montana Becomes 10th
Medical Marijuana State

WASHINGTON -- November 3 -- Proposals to reform marijuana laws racked up
record-setting vote totals across the country Tuesday, leaving reformers
cheering despite a few setbacks.

Montana voters approved a medical marijuana measure, Initiative 148, by an
overwhelming 62% to 38%, eclipsing the previous record for any state's
first vote on a medical marijuana initiative, the 61% support received by a
medical marijuana measure in Maine in 1999.

In Alaska, Measure 2 scored the highest vote percentage ever achieved by a
statewide proposal to abolish marijuana prohibition entirely and replace it
with a system of regulation. With 43% of the vote, Measure 2 outpolled
previous attempts in Alaska, Nevada, California, and Oregon -- none of
which received more than 41% of the vote.

Efforts to replace prohibition with regulation got a huge boost from
Oakland voters, who approved Measure Z by 64% to 36%. The measure commits
the city of Oakland to supporting the taxation and regulation of marijuana
in California and makes personal marijuana offenses the lowest priority for
Oakland law enforcement.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, voters overwhelmingly passed a local medical
marijuana initiative, Measure C, 74% to 26%. In August, Detroit voters
passed a similar measure by a 60% to 40% margin.

Voters in Columbia, Missouri, gave big wins to two separate reforms: A
medical marijuana proposal, Proposition 1, passed by 69% to 31%; and
Proposition 2, which replaces jail time with a maximum $250 fine for
marijuana possession, also received a solid endorsement with 61% of the
vote.

With advocates gearing up to lobby for medical marijuana bills in
legislatures around the country next year, Vermont voters showed
officeholders the danger of opposing such reforms. Vermonters handed
stunning defeats to three leading opponents of that state's medical
marijuana law-passed by the legislature earlier this year after a
contentious, three-year battle. MPP, which led the campaign to pass the
law, funded an extensive grassroots campaign aimed primarily at defeating
legislators who opposed the measure and backing those who had supported it.
The campaign included voter identification, direct mail, and an aggressive
get-out-the-vote effort staffed by a large network of in-state volunteers.

State Rep. Spike Robinson (R-Chittenden 4) lost to Democratic challenger
Denise Barnard, 57% to 43%; Rep. Ruth Towne (R-Washington 3-3) was upset by
Democrat Steve Green, 52% to 48%; and Rep. Nancy Sheltra (R-Orleans 1) lost
her seat to Progressive Winston Dowland by 14 votes. The results shifted
control of the Vermont House of Representatives to the Democrats-viewed by
medical marijuana supporters as a positive development due to the
unrelenting hostility of the House GOP leadership during last year's
session.

MPP also supported two incumbents whose seats were in jeopardy: State
Reps. Floyd Nease (D-Lamoille 3) and Steven Maier (D-Addison 1), both of
whom won reelection by comfortable margins.

Massachusetts voters passed 12 of 12 advisory referenda on marijuana
policy reform: five in support of medical marijuana, six in support of
making marijuana a civil offense similar to a traffic ticket, and one in
support of taxing and regulating marijuana.

Two of Tuesday's results were disappointing to reformers. Oregon voters
defeated Measure 33, which would have allowed state-regulated medical
marijuana dispensaries and increased the amount of medical marijuana
patients may possess. In Berkeley, California, uncertainty remained about
Measure R, which would facilitate the establishment of medical marijuana
dispensaries. As of Wednesday morning the measure was trailing narrowly,
but with enough absentee ballots still left to be counted to put the
measure over the top.

"Election Day was a great day for marijuana policy reform," said Rob
Kampia, executive director of MPP. "The passage of the initiative in
Montana makes it the 10th state to allow patients to use, possess, and grow
their own marijuana for medical purposes. Voters in at least 16 of 17
cities or districts passed medical marijuana or broader
marijuana policy reform measures. And we wrested control of the Vermont
House of Representatives from the Republicans, who watered down and nearly
killed our medical marijuana bill earlier this year," referring to the
Vermont medical marijuana law.

The 10 states that have medical marijuana laws are Alaska, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

"Other than in Alaska, the only other marijuana policy reform measures to
be defeated were in Oregon and possibly Berkeley, and both of those
initiatives would have radically expanded already- existing medical
marijuana laws by authorizing the sale of marijuana," said Kampia. "The
lesson of Election Day is that moderate medical marijuana initiatives on
the local and state levels always pass, local initiatives to roll back
penalties for recreational marijuana users were also universally passed,
and we just broke the all-time record of support for any statewide measure
to end marijuana prohibition," he said, referring to the Alaska initiative.
MPP spent more than $2,000,000 on the Alaska, Montana, and Oregon
initiative campaigns, as well as providing more than $200,000 to activists
who ran the local initiative campaigns in California, Massachusetts,
Michigan, and Missouri.
P.S:Do you have a phone for Bushdoctor in Vienna?

--Merci a
Raph pour cette info