cannabisnews.com: Peter Lewis Aims To Put MMJ Issue on 2012 Ballot
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Peter Lewis Aims To Put MMJ Issue on 2012 Ballot
Posted by CN Staff on May 02, 2011 at 20:07:36 PT
By Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer 
Source: Plain Dealer
Columbus, Ohio -- The movement to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio has been reignited. Peter B. Lewis -- the billionaire chairman of Progressive Corp. and well-known medical marijuana advocate -- is seeking proposals to run a campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio. The issue would go on the ballot in 2012.
"We want to see what kind of proposals that come in and we'll proceed from there," said Graham Boyd, the former director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project and an advisor to Lewis. While Democratic lawmakers have tried and failed in recent years to pass medical a marijuana law in Ohio, Lewis' latest inquiry represents a different tack. By going directly to voters through a ballot initiative, Lewis and his supporters could circumvent a GOP-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who likely would oppose such a law. "Obviously with his backing, and more importantly his dollars, that's the only way getting passage of this bill is going to happen in the state of Ohio," said Rep. Kenny Yuko, a Democrat from Richmond Heights who has introduced bills to legalize medical marijuana. Lewis, whose company is based in Mayfield Village, is among the most wealthy, high-profile supporters of medical marijuana legalization. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, estimates that Lewis has contributed between $40 million and $60 million to the cause since the 1980s. "No person on the face of this Earth has donated more money to reform marijuana laws than Peter B. Lewis," St. Pierre said. The ballot initiative campaign Lewis is pursuing would include grassroots organizing, opinion research and advertising, according to a copy of his request for proposals. The campaign also would be designed to be a model for similar efforts in other states. "Of the states that continue to prohibit medical use of marijuana, Ohio stands out as having particularly high levels of voter support," the request for proposals reads.  Snipped  Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/FIVax6q5Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH)Author: Joe Guillen, The Plain DealerPublished: Monday, May 02, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Plain Dealer Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/xyjxy9vZWebsite: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 03, 2011 at 06:50:30 PT
Canis420 and The GCW
I am very happy. I never thought anything would ever happen in Ohio.
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on May 03, 2011 at 06:41:44 PT
I get my news from>
Cannabis News, Al Jazeera [English] Democracy Now [Amy Goodman].MSM I watch occasionally to see the difference. America is either feed pablum or is deliberately misled. Fox news is pure propaganda and a laughable joke to anyone who knows the real story.Americans need to quit acting like a bunch of know it alls and allow their egos to let a little truth and common sense seep in."You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones we need to focus on."-G.W.Bush
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on May 03, 2011 at 04:19:49 PT
Related to the main issue
Canada's Conservatives win coveted majorityTORONTO—Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper won his coveted majority government in elections that changed Canada's political landscape with the opposition Liberals and Quebec separatists suffering a shattering defeat. 
Harper, who took office in 2006, has won two elections but until Monday's vote had never held a majority of Parliament's 308 seats, forcing him to rely on the opposition to pass legislation. While Harper's hold on Parliament has been tenuous during his five-year tenure, he has managed to nudge an instinctively center-left country to the right. He has gradually lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, promoted Arctic sovereignty, upped military spending and extended Canada's military mission in Afghanistan. Elections Canada reported preliminary results on its website, giving the Conservatives 167 seats, which will give Harper --- four years of uninterrupted government. Cont. 
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_17980238
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Comment #3 posted by Canis420 on May 02, 2011 at 21:43:00 PT:
Ohio
I spent my first 25 years in Ohio and have spent $200.00 in fines for cannabis posession (twice). I really want to see this progress in this state...go buckeyes.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on May 02, 2011 at 20:51:47 PT
FoM,
When I saw the heading below the title, I knew it would.Good.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 02, 2011 at 20:08:18 PT
Just a Comment
This makes me very happy.
[ Post Comment ]


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