As happens every election cycle, marijuana will be on the ballot. And as also happens every election cycle, there will be people who are very not happy about this fact.
Many of those voices have consolidated into a group called SAM Action. Standing for Smart Approaches to Marijuana, SAM has made some strong cases against marijuana legalization in the past, mainly dealing with its potential to be swallowed up by big business and become the next tobacco industry.
This election, Massachusetts will probably be voting on whether or not to recriminalize marijuana, and SAM is fighting hard to get the word out. So far, they’ve raised $1.55 million, and this number could easily double by the time November comes around.
This is an anti-marijuana ballot measure, meaning the onus was on them to get the signatures, and some are crying foul about the methods in which they gathered those signatures. An objection was filed saying some signatures were obtained fraudulently by claiming the signatures were for affordable housing and public parks, not banning marijuana. Unclear how accurate this is, but similar things are being heard in Maine, where they are also trying to limit adult sales of marijuana.
This fall may end up being a moment where voters, at least in some states, decide whether or not marijuana policy went too far, and SAM is the group that is behind the pivot. They have lots of money to spend, and seemingly lots of desperate energy to get the word out.
Read the original story at Marijuana Moment.
