With the 21st Annual Seattle Hempfest in sight to open its doors to thousands of Washington natives and supporters from around the world tomorrow, the prospect of debate is sure to rock the community this weekend. The line between attendee and activist will be blurred and hostility will probably find its way into the realm of chill stonerdom--expect a ruckus!Advocates from CommunityCann will be there to spread their message and talk about the opportunity we have with legalization on three ballots this year. CommunityCann is a by-product of California's initiative Proposition 19 from 2010, born from the incredible minds and grass-roots activists that ran the Los Angeles field effort. Though the initiative failed, we found a new path to communicate our message--from the ground up.
19 fell short of passing into law what would have been the world's most progressive approach to cannabis policy--controlling and regulating--by only 3.5% but it was still in its loss that cannabis reform still won. The implications of 46.5% of California voters (4,643,592 voters) approving the legalization of marijuana were huge and awe-inspiring.
This election season we not only have brought back the debate of legalization but we've done it times-3 (successfully) with countless other forms of legislation for decriminalization, medical marijuana, and other varied forms of relative policy change up for discussion. A handful of other states also tried to bring legalization forward for referendum this year only to fail (largely due to funding), including California.
CommunityCann director, Forrest Rosenbach, says "Progress doesn't work by waiting for the ideal environment, it happens with baby steps in the right direction."
He helped lead the Yes on 19 LA group; experiencing first-hand who and what some of the campaigns main antagonists opposing the initiative were. "Stoners against legalization had to be one of the worst groups to encounter when out campaigning." Rosenbach explained, "They want this! They sing about it with Marley, they dream about it when smoking with their buddies--now their opportunity has come and they spit on it. It blows my mind!"
The field leader expounded by stating that most people don't really understand a few things: "First and foremost, people truly just don't get the system or how it works. Second, they don't understand the audacity of this opportunity that they have, being able to vote for legalization. Sure this directly affects their state but there's more to it! This affects a culture, an ideology--a movement, our nation!"
The short-sighted nature of many within the community has surely become one of the biggest hurdles for legalization campaigns but we can't blow off opportunities like this and we can't have this kind of divide. This IS the war on drugs. This is a war on you and me; battles will be won and battles will be lost..
CommunityCann asks voters this November to not let lacking apprehensions stand in the way of important changes we are so fortunate to be choosing on. This is a movement of ideology... Not just a, "man I just wanna smoke weed" movement. It is bigger than you and bigger than your state. This is the battle we have been blessed to actually be able to take on and make the world a better place for the future.
VOTE:
YES on Washington's I-502
YES on Colorado's Amendment 64
YES on Oregon's Measure 80
