How much do endorsements matter in state marijuana reform campaigns?
The question in the title of this post is prompted by this intriguing local article from Alaska, which is headlined “Hurdles on both sides as campaigns court marijuana endorsements.” Here are excerpts:
Besides stacks of pizza and baskets of carrot sticks, one item was in striking abundance at a Wednesday night political fundraiser for the “Big Marijuana. Big Mistake. Vote No on 2” campaign last week: a long-list of supporters.
The event, held in a small gazebo off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, listed 58 people as co-hosts, everyone from local legislators Shelly Hughes, Lynn Gattis and Wes Keller to teachers, city council and borough assembly members and even Joe Miller, the former candidate for U.S. Senate (who, despite co-hosting, did not attend). Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, running on the Republican ticket for lieutenant governor, made an appearance. Even though not all of the 58 showed up, those who did made it clear: They don’t support Ballot Measure 2.
Eric Derleth, a Soldotna attorney, was among the outspoken at Tuesday night hearing on the ballot initiative. He particularly criticized Kristina Woolston, a volunteer spokeswoman with the No on 2 campaign who is also part-owner of an Anchorage pizzeria that serves alcohol — a substance he considers more dangerous than marijuana. Derleth said his pushback was done in part because people deserve to know “the background of people telling you these things,” especially when they’re criticizing laws impacting private behavior that in his opinion is not harmful….
Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws, or NORML, a national nonprofit that seeks to legalize recreational marijuana, said it’s not uncommon to see lopsided support from public figures when it comes to pot reform.
“As critical as I am with federal government and their nitwittery around prohibition, I definitely have to give them credit,” St. Pierre said from Washington, D.C., last Thursday. “If they’ve done nothing else right, they have created and maintained this stigma against an otherwise popular, non-toxic herbal product that is mildly psychoactive and demonstrably safer than the other legal recreational drug, alcohol,” St. Pierre said.
He noted that in campaigns across the country, often governments and government entities are some of the first groups to come out against the measure. Given their close ties to the federal government, where the substance remains strictly illegal, it makes sense, he said.
Alaska’s campaign has followed the national trend as endorsements opposing the initiative have piled up. As of Thursday, the “no” campaign counts 35 organization endorsements, which run the gamut from local governments to Alaska Native associations, health organizations, public safety groups and even the Alaska Chamber. On top of that, campaign manager Cordero said the group has about 40 individuals — from Olympians to a swath of former lawmakers — who have come out against legalization. There’s also a 30-member campaign committee.
In comparison, the Yes campaign is light on official support. Few local leaders or politicians have come out in support of the initiative for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska. So far, the only politician running for major office to openly endorse the measure is Forrest Dunbar, the 30-year-old Democrat challenging longtime U.S. Rep. Don Young. He’s seen as a long shot against Young, who is seeking his 22nd term in Congress….
Bill Parker said it’s the stigma against marijuana that the Yes campaign is up against. He’s been a longtime advocate for Alaska marijuana legalization and is one of the co-sponsors of Ballot Measure 2. He said over the years he’s been “pigeonholed” for his stance on the issue, paying in “little ways” over the years. “I haven’t been invited to the peace officer picnic myself lately,” he joked. “But I don’t take it personally.”
Parker is serious about what he sees as the costs of keeping marijuana illegal. He said arrests have prevented people from getting jobs and acquiring student loans, among other things. “We can’t wait,” he said. “The war on marijuana is more harmful to Alaska than marijuana itself.”