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Tag: YouGov

  • DEA Delivers Gut Punch To Marijuana Industry

    DEA Delivers Gut Punch To Marijuana Industry

    The DEA has worked hard to keep marijuana illegal – despite almost 90% believing it shouldn’t be.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has work diligently to turn the tide of legal marijuana. An agency built on the “War on Drugs” is doing everything to stop cannabis being available to the population and undercutting a vast amount of their efforts. And now again the DEA delivers gut punch to the marijuana industry. The agency is swimming upstream in the process as it is being recommended by Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to them to reclassify cannabis in part do to the medical benefits. This goes along the American Medical Association and  the American College of Physicians encouraging the federal government to change based proven, science based medical help to a variety of patients including cancer, chronic pain, inflammation and more.

    The  delay until post-election is do to the DEA’s inability to coordinate the next steps so they pushed the in-person testimony for the upcoming marijuana rescheduling until early next year. DEA director Anne Milligan is seen as anti-marijuana and more inline with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). When the current administration announced the move to reschedule, Director Milligan had a meeting with key DEA Leaders with “no note taking” and off the record. The DEA not rescheduling would go against the norm as they have always followed HHS and the FDA recommendations.

    While both presidential candidates have expressed support for marijuana, a YOUGOV poll has indicated more people have faith in Harris to support the industry. The surprise is the fact is both Democrats (65%) and Republicans (31%) believe her administration would follow through. Pew Research, who has followed the mainstreaming of cannabis, has it at 88+% of the population is for some form of federal legalization.  Even AARP has moved toward legalizing marijuana, a key voting block for both parties. But, it seems, the DEA, is against the move and is hoping there is a change of heart in policy making.

    In another slap to the cannabis industry, Milligan and the DEA have tried to stack the deck against cannabis. NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that he was disappointed but hardly surprised by the DEA’s decision to disproportionately include groups opposed to marijuana policy reform as designated participants. “The fight to end our nation’s outdated and failed cannabis prohibition laws has never been fought on a level playing field,” he said.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Does Marijuana Have Any Sway In The Election

    Does Marijuana Have Any Sway In The Election

    Since 2016 cannabis has began slowly legalizing across Canada and the US. Recent research says almost 90% believe it should be legalized.  Additionally, California Sober has become a thing, beer sales have flattened and even AARP has joined esteemed medical organizations saying cannabis should be recognized for the health benefits. States are reaping huge tax revenue, but the industry is still struggling without some type of federal recognization. But does marijuana have any sway in the election?

    RELATED: Red States Lean Green This Election

    Top concerns of voters include the economy, healthcare, the Supreme Court and abortion, with over 60% of voters considering them very important. And although cannabis consumers use is generally seen more of a democrat habit than republicans, a number of repubicans are fans. Some larger influencers in the industry have been staunch supporter of the GOP nominee.  A recent poll found 42% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independent favor legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical compared with 72% of Democrats.  Florida governor Ron DeSantis is struggling to prevent an expanded cannabis ballot initiative passing in Florida.  But do voters really consider marijuana when choosing?

    Photo by Lingbeek/Getty Images

    While the industry is full of bros who believe they have influence over the election and congress, the numbers don’t add up. It isn’t a make or break issue for most voters. Biden delayed any action on marijuana, despite his promise in 2020, until the last part of this term.  Because of this, even if he manages to push things through with the Drug Enforcement Administration, it will be 2025 before any help comes. The GOP nominee’s has come out in support of the Florida initiative against his old foe DeSantis, but leaders in his party are against any legal form of marijuana. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has made it very clear cannabis is a no go.

    A recent YouGov poll revealed , voters trust the Democratic nominee to handle cannabis laws (27 percent), compared to the GOP candidate (20 percent). But more Trump supporters say marijuana issues are important them (17 percent) than Harris supporters (11 percent).  It could mean older conservative believe the GOP will reverse marijuana trends.

    RELATED: Musk Supports DeSantis Blocking Marijuana Legalization

    The good news is alcohol is a major partner of cannabis having invested over $13 billion in the industry, and they have a longer term relationship with Congress.  Constellation, one of the largest players of spirits, wine and beer, made $22 billion in revenue last year compared to the $33 billon the entire marijuana raked in.

    Does the industry have a say in the election, absolutely via support, donation and campaigns.  But on average, marijuana is not a major issue for most voters.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Legal Weed States Reap Benefits

    Legal Weed States Reap Benefits

    Sometimes you buy an expensive pair of shoes and within hours you wish you hadn’t. Buyer’s remorse is the sense of regret after having made a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item such as a vehicle or real estate.  Looking back at 2023, it seems legal weed sates reap benefits and have no buyer’s remorse for legalizing marijuana.  BDSA, a leading analytical firm which covers cannabis, released the 2023 numbers and the legal industry has grown to $29.5+ billion.  It would have been better had it not be for the New York City.   And the tax revenue has been very helpful for the 24 legal states.

    Related: Unlicensed Shops in NYC Are Doing Better Than The Naked Cowboy

    Colorado and Washington approved adult-use recreational marijuana measures in 2012. Alaska, Oregon and District of Columbia followed 2014. Since then, states have weighed the benefits versus dangers of recreational weed.  And the federal government has been watching.

    Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images

    Early on there was a YouGov poll respondents could choose between five different answers: “Success only,” “more of a success than a failure,” “more of a failure than a success,” “failure only” or “don’t know.” Approximately one-fourth of residents in Colorado, where voters approved recreational marijuana in 2012, called adult-use marijuana laws a “success only” while 45% of them labeled the laws “more of a success than a failure.” A little less than one in five Colorado residents (17%) said recreational marijuana laws were a “failure only.”

    But there are very practical reasons for states to be pleased. It is estimated  the illicit marijuana economy is worth around $30-$40 billion dollars. Recent research has shown that legalizing marijuana reduces violence and trafficking associated with the illegal drug trade thereby reducing the power and wealth of cartels and drug gangs.  This is a boom for law enforcement in states as they can focus on other crimes.

    Prison costs have also decreased.  Private prisons are being phased out as there are fewer marijuana possession inmates to hold. This is another benefit for states budgets.

    RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors

    And huge benefits is tax revenue. Missouri broke $1 billion in legal revenue and it was a pleasant surprise to state coffers. States with legal weed make more on cannabis revenue than on alcohol.  This, despite alcohol having more sales.  California is the only state which seems to have an issue with taxing…but states like Maine and Colorado are leading examples of good governance.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Almost 1 in 4 Arizona Republicans wants to secede from the U.S.

    Almost 1 in 4 Arizona Republicans wants to secede from the U.S.

    Nearly one in four Arizona Republicans think the Grand Canyon State should secede from the United States, a recent poll found.

    Online pollster YouGov surveyed more than 35,000 U.S. adults in 46 states earlier this month and found that just about a quarter of Americans said they would support their state seceding, ranging from less than 10% in Connecticut to 36% in Alaska.

    There are some pretty obvious trends in the data, chief among them that “larger” states — be that in population or geography — are the most willing to secede. Alaska leads the way with 36%, followed by 31% in Texas and 29% in California.

    And that desire for secession is driven by Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, who overwhelmingly are more supportive of seceding across the country. (New Jersey was the only state where Democrats were more in favor of secession than Republicans, 17% to 16%.)
    With 18% of respondents favoring secession, Arizona ranks No. 22 among the 33 states in which at least 100 Democrats and 100 Republicans were polled. While just 12% of Grand Canyon State Democrats backed leaving the Union, 23% of Republicans wanted to ditch the other 49 states.

    But Arizonans are much more likely to root for another state to secede. YouGov also asked respondents if there was a state besides their own that they would support seceding from the U.S., and 31% said there was one. Only 12 of the 46 states polled had more residents who wanted another state to secede, led by 37% of New Hampshire adults.
    Curiously, more Arizonans want to see another state secede than actually believe there is a constitutional right to secession. Nationally, 26% of Americans said there was such a constitutional right — an assertion that many legal scholars say is flat wrong — and about 23% of Arizona respondents agreed.

    One glaring omission from the poll is why so many people, and particularly Republicans, want to leave the great American experiment behind.

    This story was first published by Arizona Mirror, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Follow Arizona Mirror on Facebook and Twitter.

    Jim Small | Arizona Mirror

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