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Editorial
Marijuana could be wild card in 2016 election
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Malcolm Gladwell's 2000 book, "The Tipping Point" explored, among other things, how small things can make a big difference -- a few Manhattan hipsters began wearing Hush Puppies shoes to clubs, saving the brand from extinction in 1990.
Although other social scientists question some of Gladwell's conclusions, it's true that relatively small factors can have big consequences down the road. For instance, did Hillary Clinton's decision to use a private email server, and then erase it, cost her the presidency? Only time will tell.
Marijuana, of little concern to most of us, could provide the tipping point in the 2016 election, especially if it proves to be a close one.
While Southwest Nebraska law enforcement is dealing with headaches resulting from Colorado's legalization of recreational weed, the drug is polling better among voters in three key swing states -- Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida -- than any potential 2016 presidential candidate, including Hillary Clinton.
Fifty-one percent of Pennsylvanians, 52 percent of Ohioans and 55 percent of Florida residents support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
Popularity of an idea doesn't always translate into political action, however, such as in Florida, where 88 percent of voters said they supported medical marijuana last July, but a constitutional amendment to do just that failed to gather the 60 percent support it needed to become law.
But in a tight race, we wouldn't be surprised to see a struggling candidate play the pot card -- Rand Paul, for instance, who was expected to announce his candidacy today.
A champion of criminal justice reform, Paul has said "jailing people for 10 years for marijuana is ridiculous," and while he would leave legalization up to the states, has supported industrial hemp.
Other candidates?
Jeb Bush opposes medical marijuana as a guise toward legalization; Ben Carson supports marijuana for medical use but not recreational; Hillary Clinton is OK with medical marijuana and would leave recreational use up to the states; Ted Cruz has no stance on record, Marco Rubio has no stance but his brother-in-law was imprisoned for drugs; Paul Ryan has taken a strong anti-drug stance, and other contenders are a mixed bag.
Will the next president support legalization of marijuana? That may depend on who's running and what it will take to get him or her elected.