California Cannabis Update

Ryan Grim surveys the state's congressional delegation on Proposition 19 and gets three yays from Democrats and a wavering nay from a Republican:

Three may not seem like a high number, but it represents the most public support that legalization has garnered from a single state's delegation -- and it signals the effect that ballot initiatives can have on advancing the public debate over marijuana policy. Many of the rest of the Democrats in the delegation said they were open to supporting it.

The California NAACP recently endorsed Prop 19, "citing dramatic racial disparities in marijuana arrests." Scott Morgan picks up on Josh Green's reporting that marijuana initiatives may help Democrats:

The mere notion that state-level marijuana reform efforts can impact national politics is a healthy dose of leverage and legitimacy for our movement. When political pundits begin speculating about our ability to bring out voters, that sends a message to politicians in a language they understand. For decades, the Democratic Party has remained shamefully silent on marijuana policy -- despite overwhelming support for reform within its base – all because party leaders persist in clinging foolishly to the 1980's mentality that any departure from the "tough on drugs" doctrine is political suicide. What now?