Vanderbilt Political Review Spring 2014 | Page 26

DOMESTIC required 6,000 signatures of registered voters, according to The Daily Chronic. The ballot initiative would mirror the legislation in Colorado, according to The Huffington Post, allowing adults over twenty-one to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow six of their own plants, only three of which can be mature. Other states also have marijuana initiatives that could potentially be on the ballots this summer or fall. While much of the attention has been on states that are looking to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, initiatives to legalize medical marijuana or even decriminalize the use of marijuana are just as significant to the movement. Rick Perry, the Republican Governor of Texas, has discussed the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana and said to Jimmy Kimmel that, “you don’t want to ruin a kid’s life for having a joint.” Perry then agreed when Kimmel suggested decriminalizing marijuana in Texas, an interesting position because marijuana movements typically come from the far left of the political spectrum. The GOP’s changing stance on marijuana reflects a country that has become increasingly in favor of marijuana legalization over the past few years. A CNN/Opinion Research poll from this January found that national support for marijuana legalization is now at fiftyfive percent. In California, a proposition to legalize marijuana in 2010 failed 53.5% to 46.5%; however, in a recent poll, fifty-six percent of California said they would vote in favor of legalization – up ten percent from the 2010 vote. Certainly, not every state is going to turn into another Colorado and sell the drug out of official stores, but the stigma that has been attached to marijuana is going away. Very progressive states like Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana and others still are continuing to vote on marijuana-related initiatives. Historically conservative, anti-marijuana states have been discussing loosening the punishments for possession of marijuana, while oth- 26 VANDERBILT POLITICAL REVIEW Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall ers have been making strides in medical marijuana allowances. Overall, a legalization movement that started as purely wishful thinking has seen true success in a couple of states and may soon see success in more. As it continues to gather momentum, the American people will put more pressure on the White House to make concrete statements on the subject and potentially enact federal legislation supporting it. In general, Obama’s statements on marijuana have been vague and disappointing to many supporters. Kevin Sabet, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Drug Policy Institute, said that the administration has a “bad political problem” when it comes to marijuana, and that they are trying to avoid alienating any voting blocs by giving committed responses or taking action. In spite of this, pressure on the President is mounting. Eventually, the Obama administration and both political parties will have to clear the smoke and stop giving hazy answers to questions regarding marijuana legalization and policies.