Not Quite Ready to Believe This

TPM reports that the ballot initiative in Colorado to legalize marijuana in the state has growing support. I'm not quite ready to believe that something like this could actually pass, although evidence is mounting that the evil weed is not such a fearsome evil in people's minds these days.

The latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows that 47 percent of likely Colorado voters support Amendment 64, which will appear on the state ballot in November. That’s a small uptick since PPP’s June survey, which showed 46 percent support, but opposition to the measure is dropping. Only 38 percent of voters oppose Amendment 64 in Wednesday’s poll, down from 42 percent in June.

If passed, Amendment 64 would treat marijuana similarly to alcohol. Colorado adults 21 and over could consume and possess limited amounts of marijuana for personal use, while licenses would be provided to producers and sellers. The law would levy a tax on marijuana, with the first $40 million of the revenue generated to be earmarked for public school construction.

This is a good thing. Not an absolute good, like Schindler's List, but nonetheless a positive sign for common sense. In my opinion, the tide to legalize another source of revenue for the states can only gain momentum over the coming years as the old fogies who can't agree on anything, but they are all agree that pot leads directly to shooting up heroin and Americans need more guns in their society.

Of course, what the feds will do if the state actually does pass this Amendment remains to be seen. One of the many blotches and broken promises on Obama's record, and why I will not be voting for him in November, is what the administration has done with medical marijuana. It has taken a more Draconian stance than even Bush did, after promising the opposite, of course.