Three US states are set to legalise recreational cannabis use this week in votes that could have major implications for the country's war on drugs.
Alongside their choice for president, residents of Washington, Oregon and Colorado – a swing state – will be asked on Tuesday whether they want to decriminalise cannabis.
If the measures are passed, adults over 21 would be able to possess, distribute and use small amounts. Cannabis for authorised medical use is already permitted and regulated by each state, even though it is against federal law.
Support is particularly strong in Washington and Colorado, but a "yes" vote in any of the states would be interpreted by the Department of Justice as an act of defiance against the federal government's war on drugs – the national law enforcement programme that spends $44bn a year struggling to stem the tide of illegal drugs in the US.
In June 2011, however, the Global Commission on Drug Policy declared that the war on drugs had failed.
In a swing state such as Colorado, putting the liberal measure on the ballot could even help to keep the battleground state – narrowly won for Barack Obama in 2008 – on the president's side. Obama has taken a soft line on medical cannabis use. » | Joanna Walters | Saturday, November 03, 2012
My comment:
Absurd! For a country such as the USA which takes such a harsh line on smoking cigarettes, this is a ridiculous move. Cigarettes, whilst they may not be harmless, are certainly not in the same health-risk league as drugs, soft or hard. This is a retrograde step too far. The US will yet come to rue the day they legalised drugs. The Americans are going bonkers! – © Mark
