Underage cannabis use drops after legalization

Teen cannabis use is on the decline, while adult use is increasing overall: StatsCan | The Growth Op - Emma Spears:

February 20, 2020 - "Legalization seems to have put a damper on teens’ enthusiasm for cannabis consumption, perhaps indicating yet again that the best way to discourage teens from doing something is to get their parents into it. While cannabis use has increased in almost all age demographics across Canada since federal legalization came into force in October 2018, teenagers saw consumption decline, according to new numberts released by Statistics Canada.

"Pre-legalization, the number of teens aged 15 to 17 who reported having consumed cannabis over the past three months was just under 20 percent. Post-legalization, that number has dropped to just over 10 percent....

"A larger group of 15- to 24-year-olds also showed slightly declining rates of use, although they largely remained steady. Approximately 27.6 percent reported using cannabis within the past three months pre-legalization; post-legalization, that number had declined to 26.4 percent.....

"[A]ll other age demographics demonstrated increased cannabis use since legalization. The most dramatic bump was among 25- to 44-year-olds, who reported a 3.2 percent increase post-legalization, followed by 18- to 24-year-olds, who reported a 2.5 percent increase ... with 45- to 64-year-olds reporting an increase of users of just 1.9 percent, and seniors (those aged 65 and older) reporting a rise of just 1.8 percent."
Read more: https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/teen-cannabis-use-is-on-the-decline-while-adult-use-is-increasing-overall-statscan

Another Survey Shows Teen Marijuana Use Declines After Legalization | Fresh Toast - Brendan Bures

March 3, 2020 - "And now, Denver is finding similar results.

"City officials surveyed 537 teenagers in 2019, so they could statistically measure how their High Costs campaign — a youth marijuana education program — affected consumption habits. According to the results, 81% of Denver teens ages 13-17 say they don’t currently use marijuana. Only 18% of male adolescents in that age range reported using marijuana, down from 27% in the previous year’s survey."
Read more: https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/more-than-80-of-denver-teens-dont-smoke-marijuana/

Registered Libertarians doubled in Massachusetts

Libertarian ranks swell amid voter dissatisfaction | Gloucester Daily Times - Christian M. Wade:

March 6, 2020 - "Driven by voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties, the state's Libertarians have seen a surge in numbers in recent years, even as other parties shrink. The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts had 19,851 members as of Feb. 12 — a more than 130% increase from 2017 when it regained its party status, according to Secretary of State's Bill Galvin's office. A sizable portion of its membership draws from Essex and Middlesex counties, where about 6,300 voters are registered as Libertarians.

"While Libertarians are still just a sliver of the electorate – only 0.43% of more than 4.5 million registered voters – their ranks are growing faster than any other political party. Cristina Crawford, the state party's chairwoman, attributes the growth to voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties, as well as the Libertarians' message of civil rights, economic liberty and limited government.

"'We're seeing a lot of support, which is very encouraging,' she said. 'We've become a refuge for disillusioned voters who are tired of big government, high taxes and politics as usual'....

"Dozens of candidates are vying for the Libertarians' presidential nomination this year. In Massachusetts, 10 candidates were listed on the party's ballot on Super Tuesday. The Libertarians hold their state convention on March 22, ahead of the party's May 21–25 national convention in Austin, Texas.

"Nationally, the Libertarian Party has seen a 92% rise in membership in the last decade, fielding candidates in dozens of states. Two years ago, the party saw more than 600 candidates in federal, state and local races in nearly 40 states....

"Increased interest in the Libertarians also helped the party reclaim official state recognition three years ago, due to the party's showing in the 2016 presidential election. New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson was the party's candidate, with former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Bill Weld as his running mate.... The Libertarian ticket won 4.2% of the vote in Massachusetts – clearing a benchmark 3% necessary to be officially recognized and have its candidates listed on the next ballot.

"Two years ago, Dan Fishman of Beverly challenged Democratic State Auditor Suzanne Bump, and while he came in third [also with 4.2% of the vote - ed.] ... he boosted the party's profile.

"Independent parties come and go in Massachusetts.... Still, voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties continues to simmer, according to polls that cite frustration over divisive national politics. A 2018 Suffolk University survey found a strong appetite for strong third-party candidates, with only 22% of the respondents saying the Democratic and Republican parties do a good job of representing Americans’ views."

Read more: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/libertarian-ranks-swell-amid-voter-dissatisfaction/article_0261da49-c86a-5521-aad4-1a58cca4b91d.html

Hornberger wins CA Libertarian primary with 18%

Libertarian Super Tuesday: Big Night for Jacob Hornberger, NOTA; John McAfee Drops Out and Backs Vermin Supreme | Reason.com - Matt Welch:

March 4, 2020 - "Libertarian Party primaries and caucuses are nonbinding, which means that no delegates are awarded.... Still, the election results provide a snapshot of what party members are thinking less than three months out.

"So far, the trend line is unmistakable — the Libertarian front-runner at this point is ... Future of Freedom Foundation founder Jacob Hornberger. After previously winning the Iowa and Minnesota caucuses, and getting the second-most first-place votes in the New Hampshire primary as a write-in, Hornberger was the biggest human vote-getter in two of the three Super Tuesday primaries that have posted results so far.

"In California, with 99.9 percent of precincts reporting, Hornberger led a field of 13 candidates with 17.5 percent of the vote. Tied for second with 11.6 percent were former military officer and Honolulu County Neighborhood Board member Ken Armstrong, and political satirist Vermin Supreme, the latter of whom previously won the New Hampshire primary. Lagging just behind at 11.4 percent was 1996 L.P. vice presidential nominee and academic Jo Jorgensen.

""Massachusetts officials don't expect to have an official statewide count until next week. According to unofficial numbers ... comprising roughly three-quarters of ballots, ... 'None of the Above' (NOTA) was leading with around 19 percent of the vote, followed by Vermin Supreme with 11.5 percent and Hornberger with 9.4 percent. Write-ins, which have not yet been broken down, amounted to a combined 29.3 percent....

"And in North Carolina, ... Hornberger again paced the biped field with 8.7 percent, though NOTA stomped with 29.8 percent. (NOTA wasn't on the ballot in California.) Just behind Hornberger with 8.2 percent was antivirus pioneer and international man of mystery John McAfee, who promptly dropped out, threw his support behind Vermin Supreme, and announced his candidacy for vice president....

"Not on any of the three Super Tuesday Libertarian ballots were recent entrants Lincoln Chafee (the former U.S. senator and Rhode Island governor, who finished second in the Iowa L.P. caucus and tied for fourth in Minnesota); entrepreneur/ex-convict Mark Whitney (11th and fourth, respectively, in same), and former million-vote-getting Georgia gubernatorial candidate John Monds (15th and fourth).

"Meanwhile, the leading fundraiser in the race, activist and veteran Adam Kokesh, finished sixth in California with 7.9 percent, tied for eighth in Massachusetts with 4.4 percent, and ninth in North Carolina with 3.5 percent."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/03/04/libertarian-super-tuesday-big-night-for-jacob-hornberger-nota-john-mcafee-drops-out-and-backs-vermin-supreme/

NOTA wins North Carolina Libertarian primary

by George J. Dance

According to results posted on Wikipedia, None of the Above (NOTA) won the North Carolina Libertarian Party primary held on Super Tuesday, March 3. There were 6,904 votes cast in the primary, the largest number of Libertarians to vote a presidential candidate preference so far in 2020. Less than 500 people voted in the three previous contests (in New Hampshire, Iowa, and Minnesota) combined, making the Super Tuesday votes the first with a large enough sample size to indicate Libertarians' actual preference.

Of those 6,904 votes, 30% (2,060) went to NOTA. Future of Freedom Foundation founder Jacob Hornberger placed first among the declared candidates, with 604 votes, or 9% of the vote (making NOTA's margin of victory more than 20 percentage points).

Close behind Hornberger were John McAfee with 570 votes, and Kim Ruff (who suspended her campaign in January after losing to Vermin Supreme in New Hampshire) with 545. The only other candidates to receive at least 5% of the vote were Supreme (410), Ken Armstrong (366), and Jo Jorgensen (316).

Neither former Rhode Island Governor and Senator Lincoln Chafee nor "million-vote man" John Monds received any votes, and they may not have been on the ballot. I have asked the North Carolina Party to clarify the point, and will update the article when received.

Colorado abolishes death penalty

Colorado to Become 22nd US State to Abolish Death Penalty | Voice of America:

February 27, 2020 - "Colorado is set to become the 22nd U.S. state to abolish the death penalty. Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to end the practice Wednesday, and the state's governor has said he will sign it.

"Proponents of halting the use of the death penalty argued it is a punishment that cannot be reversed if later evidence emerges showing someone is innocent, and that it is disproportionately applied to minorities and the poor.

"Those who wanted to keep capital punishment as a sentencing option said the threat of the death penalty gave defendants incentive to seek agreements to plead guilty to crimes and accept lower sentences....

"The state last executed someone in 1997.  Nationally, there have been four executions this year.

Last year, the state of New Hampshire abolished the death penalty, while California Governor Gavin Newsom said last year there will be no capital punishment while he is in office."

Read more: https://www.voanews.com/usa/colorado-become-22nd-us-state-abolish-death-penalty

McKay opposes Canada's cannabis legalization

Conservative Party Leader contender Peter MacKay does not agree with cannabis legalization - Emma Spears, The Growth Op:

February 24, 2020 - "Cannabis is legal in Canada, but not everyone is happy about it. Wannabe Conservative Party of Canada leader Peter MacKay revealed in a recent interview with the Kelowna Daily Courier that he does not support the legalization of cannabis, which came into force in Canada in October 2018, and that the drug should have been decriminalized instead.

"Editor James Miller asked McKay if he agreed 'with the legalization of cannabis.' 'I don’t,' responded MacKay. 'It should have been de-criminalized and that’s where our government was heading on the advice of the Canadian Police Association and chiefs of police. Bringing in a phased-way with decriminalization would have been far preferable.'

"MacKay said his concerns lie with the drug’s potential effect on youth and those with mental illnesses and criticized the Liberal government’s policy and procedures with regard to cannabis legislation.... 'It was forced. The entire issue was rushed. I believe it wasn’t the highest priority for an incoming government. It was the back-of-a-napkin promise that the current prime minister had made. I believe we have jumped the shark on that issue.'

"MacKay added that 'more emphasis on protecting people from other drugs, fentanyl and oxycontin has to be part of any plan that’s there for public health reasons.' However, he did not elaborate on how he would protect Canadians from those drugs.

"MacKay also criticized the fact that the 16-month-old legal cannabis industry has yet to displace the illicit market, which has existed for decades. 'The promise that it (legalization) was going to reduce the black market has been a complete failure,' he said. 'There’s now simply more marijuana available to more people, including young people. I don’t think that’s the most productive and highest priority that a government could pursue,' he added.

"Recent figures show, however, that young people are consuming significantly less of the drug since it was federally legalized.

"It is certainly not the only time politicians have made negative comments regarding cannabis, including those by ex-Conservative MP Julian Fantino. Fantino once compared legalization to murder, telling the Toronto Sun, 'I guess we can legalize murder, too, and then we won’t have a murder case' in 2004, and stating that he was 'completely opposed to legalization of marijuana' in 2015....The latter now sits on the board of Canadian cannabis producer Aleafia Health."

Read more: https://gdspoliticalanimal.blogspot.com/2020/03/mckay-opposes-canadas-cannabis.html

Libertarians want to keep the borders open

Libertarian Presidential Candidates Champion 'Open Borders' | Reason.com - Matt Welch:

February 26, 2020 - "Donald Trump, the most anti-immigrant president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is running against a Democratic presidential field that almost unanimously favors providing government-run health insurance to illegal immigrants. Surely there is some middle ground....

"The Libertarian Party, still the country's number-three political grouping (however distantly), has a platform very copacetic toward immigrants.... 'Libertarians believe that people should be able to travel freely as long as they are peaceful,' the party's immigration plank reads. 'A truly free market requires the free movement of people, not just products and ideas.... Of course, if someone has a record of violence, credible plans for violence, or acts violently, then Libertarians support blocking their entry, deporting, and/or prosecuting and imprisoning them'....

"To a notable degree, the L.P.'s top 2020 presidential candidates are hewing to the party's radical-for-American-politics immigration platform. 'One of the proudest positions that we have in this party is our open-border plank,' Future of Freedom Foundation founder Jacob Hornberger, who won the party's non-binding presidential caucuses in Iowa and Minnesota this month, said during a California debate that I moderated Feb. 16.... Adam Kokesh, whose big campaign idea is signing an executive order on day one that dissolves the federal government, posited that 'Government borders are not legitimate,' and that 'only private property borders' deserve respect....

"Vermin Supreme, who won the party's only other early-state contest so far (New Hampshire), quipped that 'You cannot outlaw people. If you outlaw people, only people will be outlaws.' Mark Whitney, an ex-convict comedy enthusiast who founded THELAWNET, said of undocumented immigrants, 'I not only want them to be citizens, I want them working on my campaign'....

"Jo Jorgensen complained that, 'Right now, we've got a system in which we keep everybody out, except we just let a few people in. What we need to do is flip it'.... And ... Lincoln Chafee stressed the political expediency of it all: 'I see this as a political advantage that with our open-border policy and libertarian views on immigration, especially the fastest-growing voting bloc in the United States, the Hispanics, are going to have the opportunity in 2020 to look at our platform and come to our side'....

"At the Massachusetts state Libertarian convention last July, months before he jumped into the race, Hornberger gave a fire-and-brimstone defense of open immigration as essential to a free society.... Part of what makes Hornberger's immigration message saleable to Libertarians is that he couples it with obliterating, not expanding, the welfare state.

"'We live in a society that is based on massive mandatory charity,' he said in Massachusetts. 'With the crown jewels of this system being Social Security and Medicare, along with a host of others. There is no way to reconcile a genuinely free society with mandatory charity. No way at all. Because people have a natural, God-given right to keep everything they earn, and decide for themselves what to do with it'....

"The L.P. presidential race, which will be settled at the national convention in Austin, Texas, May 21-25, has so far been a battle to see who can best represent the libertarian wing of the Libertarian Party. As such it is striking, in this moment of major-party polarization and deep immigration-policy divides, to see a principled Libertarian immigration message emerging: Mr. Trump, tear down this wall."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/02/26/libertarian-presidential-candidates-champion-open-borders/