Medical marijuana advocates prepare for legal fight after Prop 2 compromise vote
Dec 3, 2018, 12:29 PM | Updated: 12:54 pm
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2018, file photo, an employee stocks cannabis at a store shortly before its first day of recreational marijuana sales in San Francisco. (Photo: Noah Berger, AP)
(Photo: Noah Berger, AP)
SALT LAKE CITY — In all likelihood, after today’s vote at the state legislature, medical marijuana advocates say they’ll sue to uphold Proposition 2 as voters approved it but those advocates say they’ve already won.
“The people of Utah spoke, and you saw that reflected in the vote, even with all the odds coming at us,” said Christine Stenquist, president and executive director of Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education (TRUCE).
Speaking in the state House chamber, Stenquist said lawmakers working on a compromise bill are silencing the 53% of Utahns who voted for Prop 2 last month.
She says a successful lawsuit will strengthen Utah’s initiative process.
“Gerrymandering, Medicaid expansion, asset forfeiture, all of those initiatives are always going to be at threat as long as they’re the ones in charge,” Stenquist said.
Supporters of the compromise say it boosts public safety and reduces abuse of marijuana.
