Een historische doorbraak in de VS: gisteren stemden de staten Colorado en Washington voor legalisering van cannabis. Inwoners van deze staten van 21 jaar en ouder mogen voortaan tot een ounce (28 gram) cannabis kopen en bezitten en zes planten thuis hebben. In een reactie schrijft NORML voorzitter Allen St. Pierre: “The beginning of the end has begun.”

“R.I.P. American Drug War?” is de kop van het artikel waarin Allen St. Pierre, executive director van NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), reageert op het verheugende nieuws.

R.I.P American Drug War?

The beginning of the end…has begun.

Yesterday’s elections have forever changed the playing field regarding cannabis prohibition laws in America (and probably in large parts of the world too).

The citizens of Colorado, Washington and Massachusetts delivered game changing victories last night for the nearly fifty year-old cannabis law reform Movement. Massachusetts becomes the eighteenth state to pass legal protections for qualified medical patients who’ve cannabis recommended to them by a physician. Colorado and Washington become the first places in the world, ever, where citizens have cast votes to reject cannabis prohibition, and replace the failed public policy with alternatives like tax-n-regulate models (similar to the control and taxation models widely accepted for alcohol and tobacco product use by adults).

NORML’s board of directors, staff, chapter network and members congratulate the state-based organizers who planned and worked hard to qualify and pass these important voter initiatives, and we thank the voters of these states for helping to propel the nation to the eventual—if not soon coming—end to cannabis prohibition.

Will there continue to be fits and starts, federal government incursion into state sovereignty and obstinate politicians?

Surely.

However, the die for major cannabis law reforms is now cast.

NORML will continue to be the central hub of information about all things cannabis and yesterday’s victories insure that 2013 is going to be another landmark year for needed cannabis law reforms.

(…)

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is before us all.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for ending cannabis prohibition laws, which has brought us all to this day.

Kind regards,

Allen St. Pierre
Executive Director
NORML
Washington, D.C.