Will Marijuana Decide the Florida Governor's Race?

[RainDog]

http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/will-marijuana-decide-florida-governors-race

Democratic and Republican insiders are saying that marijuana law reform may decide the Florida governor’s race, according to a recent Bloomberg report. As activists in Florida work on a ballot initiative that would make it the first state in the South to legalize medical marijuana, Democratic candidate Charlie Crist could benefit from supporting medical marijuana in his closely-anticipated match-up with incumbent GOP Governor Rick Scott.

Although Crist approved increased penalties for marijuana possession as governor, he – unlike Gov. Scott – supports the proposed medical marijuana ballot measure. Crist held the governor’s office from 2007-2011 as a Republican, before switching parties. No Democrat has won a governor’s race in Florida since 1994.

A medical marijuana victory at the ballot box in Florida would certainly be a breakthrough in the South, a breakthrough in one of the most populous states in the country, and a breakthrough in a bellwether state in American politics. But if the measure plays a deciding role in the outcome of the governor’s race, it could also finally put to bed the misperception that drug policy reform is a third rail in American politics.

Although marijuana reform is often compared with marriage equality as another emerging political issue on the cusp of mainstream acceptance, support for marijuana reform (especially medical marijuana) is actually much stronger. While support for full marijuana legalization has skyrocketed to 58 percent in recent years, support for medical marijuana has consistently remained way up in the 75-80 percent range since the 1990s.

[Eleanors38]

1. Good thread. I have contended for years that pot legalization...

Is like a fumbled football where all the players think it's a dead ball, but no whistle has sounded: One side or the other is going to jump on it and reap big gains. In the case of the GOPers, they can win back some of the younger voters who are turned off to them and politics in general, even as Democrats shiver in their pool of dirty yellow water because they have lost control of culture issues.

Florida is up for grabs. Get beyond the HateSport™ of some DU trollers, Democrats & GOPers NEED Florida. Even small numbers loom large, here.

The Marijuana Policy Project is largely responsible for the "lotto" approach to legalization: Federal efforts are sometimes okay, but the states are where it's at. Get a couple of gussets (states) to crack, and the whole structure around them sags. Several years ago when lotto was the exception and not the rule, one state went legal, and the prohibition edifice crumbled. Oh, that was Florida, too. Want to see the beginnings of serious change on concealed-carry of handguns? You guessed it. For better or worse...

"If it ain't been tried, it be tried in FlawDUH."

(Zora told me so)

[RainDog]

2. LOL

I used to live in Miami. It's an entirely different universe than the northern part of the state.

If Democrats could flip Florida in the near future, that would be a great thing. Both Florida and Texas... and California... woo hoo. bye bye Republicans.

The MPP sounds like a great org.

[TeamPooka]

3. Prohibition is a failed public policy. nt