Cannabis reform
From Libertarian Wiki
Cannabis reform is a high priority for many libertarians. Medical cannabis initiatives and legislation have passed in many states. Decriminalization initiatives have also passed in some cases, including a 2008 initiative in Massachusetts. Attempts to administratively remove it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act have so far failed (although there is another such petition presently pending). Also, legalization initiatives in California (1972), Oregon (1986), Nevada (2002), and Alaska (2004) have been rejected by voters.[1] Indeed, voters have in some cases even imposed penalties on cannabis, as in Alaska (1990). The Alaska referendum was, however, invalidated by the state's supreme court, on the grounds that arresting citizens for possession of small amounts of cannabis in the home constitutes a violation of privacy rights. In Oregon (1998), voters rejected a cannabis recriminalization measure by a 2-1 margin.
Some high-profile Libertarians heavily involved in the cannabis reform movement include Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project; and Steve Kubby, a medical cannabis patient who was persecuted by the government and ran for the Libertarian presidential nomination in 2008. There is an array of relatively minor figures who also joined the LP because of its stance on drugs, including Lennice Werth of Virginians Against Drug Violence.
In recent years, cannabis reformers have attended United Nations drug summits in an attempt to influence global policy. Cindy Fazey, a criminologist and former Chief of Demand Reduction for the United Nations Drug Control Programme, supported harm reduction and repatriation of drug policy at the 1998 UN General Assembly special summit on drugs. The aforementioned Lennice Werth also attended a recent UN summit on the issue.
Some Libertarians have attempted to distance themselves from the reform efforts, citing the need to avoid ridicule and a reputation for supporting drug use. Other Libertarians (including Marc Montoni) warn against alienating cannabis reformers, who comprise an ardent base of supporters.[2] In any event, the Libertarian Party Platform clearly states the party's position on the issue, and the World's Smallest Political Quiz devotes one of its ten questions to drug prohibition.
