(Oct. 26)AOL NEWS -- We all know the stereotypes: Opponents of marijuana are people with short hair, khaki pants and light skin who like a good amount of mayonnaise on their white bread, and supporters are... pretty much everyone else.
But in California, as everywhere else, the racial lines are blurry, and old stereotypes might prove a poor predictor of how the various populations in the nation's largest, most diverse state will vote when it comes to Proposition 19. As November draws near, there are increasing signs that race will play an important role in the upcoming vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use by adults, though not in the ways one might expect.
According to NPR, African-American leaders in California are looking at the issue through a similar lens but coming to different conclusions. Some, most notably the NAACP, see legal marijuana as a way of curbing gang violence and racial profiling. Others see it as an availability issue that will only exacerbate drug abuse problems in already strained, predominantly black communities.
Still, in California, blacks make up only 6 percent of the electorate. By far the most powerful minority vote comes from the Hispanics, who at 36.6 percent of the state's population may be well on their way to becoming the majority. A prominent member of a large Hispanic group named League of United Latin American Citizens has come out in support of the ballot initiative -- not due to the stereotypes featured in this strikingly racist LA Weekly article but in the hopes that legalized marijuana will hurt the powerful Mexican drug cartels and curb border violence (an argument which with the Rand Corp. takes major issue, as we've pointed out).
But support for Proposition 19 among Hispanic voters seems to be failing along with the rest of the population's -- from 63 percent support in September to 51 percent opposition in October, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Predictions and polls based on "likely voters" become difficult when dealing with such a sweeping matter of personal interest to so many people in a state, however. Despite little organized funding, Proposition 19 has become the most widely covered ballot initiative in the country, and there's no telling how the particular nature of what seems to be a grass-roots campaign will affect the polls in November.
Of course, some stereotypes refuse to die, though they may be based more popular lore than skin color: e.g. Ziggy Marley, son of legendary revolutionary and tokist Bob Marley, supports Proposition 19.
No comments:
Post a Comment