Yes we cannabis! That’s the refrain pro-pot activists are hoping to hear next week when they ask Burlington City Council to approve a ballot item for the November 6 general election calling for the legalization of marijuana and hemp.
The referendum — “Shall the people of Burlington support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of all marijuana and hemp products?” — is being introduced by Councilor Max Tracy (P-Ward 2). The Greene Street Progressive — yep, he really lives on Greene Street — will formally announce the resolution at a noon press conference on September 5 at Burlington City Hall. A majority of councilors must OK the referendum at their next meeting, on September 10, before it can be added to the November ballot.
Now, don’t expect to see phat nugs for sale at the Burlington Farmers Market anytime soon. The nonbinding measure wouldn’t actually legalize pot or hemp. Supporters argue it would simply send a strong message to Vermont’s politicians.
And what message is that? A) That a sizable chunk of their constituency enjoys the occasional bong hit or two; B) the current policy of spending billions of tax dollars prosecuting and incarcerating people for smoking a largely benign weed is a total buzzkill; C) legalization could save the U.S. an estimated $13.7 billion annually; and D) it won’t harm your reelection chances if you support legalization — and keep a box of donuts around the office in case we drop by.
Burlington’s smoke-the-vote campaign is being led by the group BTV Green, a new, grassroots group looking to capitalize on nationwide momentum toward repealing the 75-year-old marijuana prohibition. Three other states — Colorado, Oregon and Washington — as well as the city of Detroit, Mich., all have binding referendums on their ballots this fall to legalize, tax and regulate the green stuff.
Albert Petrarca is founder and lead organizer of the BTV Green campaign. Petrarca, a surgical intensive care nurse at Fletcher Allen, points out that, as Vermont doesn’t have a public referendum law like those in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, this would simply be a “spirit-of-the-people” measure. That said, if it gets on the November ballot and wins in Burlington, Petrarca intends to take his measure statewide for the 2013 Town Meeting Day.
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These resolutions are ridiculous. It means nothing that a freaking poll hasn’t already determined. It amounts to nothing as the State will never do something that risks federal money and the feds aren’t going to change it.
The media should stop giving these support … non-binding resolutions publicity and let them go by the wayside like CLF and VPRIG