“We get a lot more honks than we get fingers,” says Mark Russell, founder of the local pro-legalization group I Am Not A Criminal, of his experiences protesting in support of Proposition 19. The prop, which will be voted on this coming week, would allow Californians to grow, sell, and consume cannabis; Russell, his fellow medi-marijuana users, and other supporters gathered outside the Courthouse on Saturday to show their support for the legalization movement. Locals will also be voting on Measure T, which would close down local dispensaries.Waving signs and hollering out to anyone walking, driving, or cycling by, Russell’s statement seemed correct—Santa Barbarans mostly honked or called out, and only one flipped off the group.
With the political season in crunch time, local legalization supporters are making a last bid to gauge feelings and win votes. “People on the fence will maybe get their minds changed [once they see people willing to be vocal in their support],” said Russell. He and others agreed that medical marijuana users (he uses it to prevent migraines) are instantly judged as criminals—by law enforcement and citizens alike—and that only a fraction of those who support legalization will risk being public about it. The non-supporters are “afraid of the truth”—that legalization will require better parenting and education, even though it would hopefully reduce the opportunities for teens to get weed off the street.
Although everyone seems to be in support of Prop 19, many say that it’s not what they had hoped it would be. Said Russell, “It’ll create chaos and confusion [because of the lack of regulatory specificity]. Prop 19 is all about the money.” He still thinks it’s a step in the right direction for cannabis, because people who feel they need it will obtain it no matter what the laws say, but that it needs improvement.