A medical marijuana plant is shown at the Northwest Patient Resource Center medical marijuana dispensary, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Seattle. After voters weighed in on election day, Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow legal pot for recreational use, but they are likely to face resistance from federal regulations.
Ted S. Warren, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Our take: Ed Gogek is an addiction psychiatrist and board member of Keep AZ Drug Free notes the effects of legalizing recreational use marijuana in Colorado and Washington State, and the affects it would have on the Democratic party and their policies.
Tuesdays election was a victory for the marijuana lobby: Colorado and Washington State voted to legalize recreational use, while Massachusetts will now allow doctors to recommend it as medicine.
Its a movement around which many Democrats have coalesced. In Colorado, legalization was part of the state partys platform. And last year, in Montana, Republicans voted to overturn the states medical marijuana law, but the Democratic governor saved it with a veto.
But Democrats should think twice about becoming the party of pot. Im a lifelong partisan Democrat, but Ive also spent 25 years as a doctor treating drug abusers, and I know their games. Theyre excellent con artists.
Read more about A Bad Trip for Democrats on The New York Times.
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Nice SPIN to slander a political Party.
Statewide INITIATIVES are not endorsed nor sponsored by party, but by individual citizens of that State.
Initiatives passed in Colorado and Washinton state had nothing, repeat NOTHING - to More..
I thought it was the Libertarians who push this law. You know, those far right leaning types like Ron Paul. Democrats? I think not.
The movement to legalize marijuana isn't coming from any political party - it's coming from a recognition that the "war on drugs" is costing far too much and accomplishing far too little.
You want to put a serious hurt on More..