Elizabeth Warren Expresses Support For Medical Marijuana Legalization

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/09/24/901171/elizabeth-warren-expresses-support-for-medical-marijuana-legalization/



Warren’s statement comes as public support for decriminalizing marijuana is growing. A November poll found that 56 percent of Americans now support legalizing marijuana and regulating it like states regulate alcohol and tobacco. In Massachusetts, a more recent poll found 59 percent of voters support legalizing marijuana specifically for medical use.

Should Massachusetts voters approve the measure on the November ballot to legalize medical marijuana in the state, Massachusetts will join 17 other states and the District of Columbia, which already have some statute in place decriminalizing medical marijuana. In spite of this growing movement among the states, federal officials are continuing to crack down on dispensaries, enforcing federal law even where state laws allow those dispensaries.

Arkansas and Montana will also hold ballot initiatives on medical marijuana this year, and Colorado, Washington and Oregon will consider measures to decriminalize marijuana for both medical and recreational uses. An initiative to legalize medical marijuana in North Dakota was blocked by the Secretary of State, and the North Dakota Supreme Court recently upheld that move.