Natalie Barfuss
Proposition 2 is a law that relates to medical cannabis in Utah that will be either passed or not be passed on November 6th2018. As of right now the currentUtah law requires the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to ensure by January 1, 2019, that marijuana (cannabis) is grown in the state of Utah and can be sold to research institutions or terminally ill patients with less than six months left to live. Proposition 2 although indicates other things, ballotpedia wrote “Proposition 2 was designed to legalize medical marijuana for individuals with qualifying conditions. Individuals could receive a medical marijuana card with a recommendation from a physician. Under the measure, a medical marijuana cardholder could not smoke or use marijuana or use a device to facilitate the smoking of marijuana. During any one 14-day period, an individual would be allowed to buy either 2 ounces of unprocessed marijuana or an amount of marijuana product with no more than 10 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol.” Although if if prop 2 passes, there will be some major adjustments to prevent problems. Medical use of marijuana is legal in 31 states and is going up every year. 6 other states are voting right now for proposition 2 in their states. The chance of it being legal throughout the country within some years is very high. More than less have medical marijuana legalized and a few even have recreational marijuana legalized. Many people in Utah had a few issues with prop 2 but the chances of it passing is surprisingly high based on some compromises. FOX 13 NEWS wrote, “Governor Gary Herbert announced he will call the Utah State Legislature into special session to pass a "compromise" bill on medical marijuana.” They also wrote, “The bill was the product of weeks of closed-door talks between groups ranging from the Utah Medical Association and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (who oppose Prop. 2) to the libertarian-leaning think tank Libertas Institute and Utah Patients Coalition, Prop. 2's sponsor.” The bill has a few changes to the law and if this law does pass there will be some amendments made. Deseret News wrote about some of the amendments that will be added, some of which include that no one with an autoimmune disease will be able to get a medical card, no one with gastrointestinal disorder will be able to get a card, and you can also not use medical marijuana in place of opioids if you only have a 2 week subscription for them, but if your prescription is longer and you are at risk of addiction it is allowed. Another compromise will be that Under Proposition 2, a patient may personally grow up to six of their own marijuana plants if they live more than 100 miles from the nearest dispensary, but that is not allowed in the compromise bill.Deseret News also wrote, “Aside from that, the only authorized forms of medical marijuana under the compromise bill would be a capsule, tablet, concentrated oil, liquid suspension, topical substance, sublingual pill, chewable or dissolvable pill, skin patch, or in limited circumstances, a resin or wax. The compromise bill does not allow patients to use edible marijuana products, whereas there is no such restriction in Proposition 2.” In conclusion, if it passes there will be compromises made by the state legislature in a way to prevent people from smoking and harming their lungs, there will be limited dispensaries, and there will be limited illnesses you can get it for. Whether it passes or not it will still be illegal for people underage and without a medical card. Medicinal marijuana will be monitored and taxed by the government.
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Alexis Robinson
Voting awareness has been on the rise this time of year. With the midterm elections being on November 6th some people who do not vote ignore and dislike most of the voting awareness. People who do vote encourage others to vote so that they can help bring to pass change. People who do not vote wonder why people who vote do vote. Voters wonder why people who do not vote don’t. Here are some reasons why people vote and why people do not. Participation is one of the biggest factors of why Americans do and do not vote. If you do vote and choose not to participate you waive your freedom of speech and you’re not helping choose what direction the country is going to go. On the other hand if you do vote you are somewhat responsible for what laws and people are put in charge. When something goes wrong in the office or a law is not working out well, people who voted for that law or person who they wanted in office are told that it was their choice on what they wanted. Another major factor of voting are a person's feelings towards a certain candidate or law. Many who do not vote say that they didn’t because of negative feelings towards the candidates or laws that are up to be voted for or on. Some Americans that do vote usually have strong feelings towards one option or the other. The “Lesser of Two Evils” strategy is one that is used by both voters and non voters. This strategy used by voters by choosing the candidate or law that in their opinion is the better option with the least consequences. People who do not vote use this strategy saying that in their opinion no matter what candidate or law is chosen they are both evil even if one is a “lesser evil”. The last major factor is voting itself. Many who do not vote claim that their vote is just one among thousands and that it won't matter. Some even liken it to a grain of sand in the sea saying it doesn’t make a difference. Common Cause, a grassroots organization whose mission is upholding the core values of American democracy, says that “One vote can make a difference. Many voters, together deciding they will make a difference, can change an election.” Many presidential, state, and even local elections have been decided by only a handful of votes. This article was to inform people some of the major reasons why some vote and others do not. It is your choice to vote or to not. If you vote you get your voice heard, your vote is counted and your opinion is noted. If you do not vote you do not have to participate, your opinion is kept to yourself and your vote is not counted. Whatever you choose to do is up to you. Dylan McCuskey
With midterms for Congress occurring today, pressure on both political parties to win the elections is increasing. At the moment, the Republican Party holds the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are enough available seats, however, for the Democratic Party to take both branches. Traditionally, the party in power loses some seats in Congress during midterms, but President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been making an effort to keep this shift from happening. The midterm elections are poised to be extremely interesting. If history repeats itself, the Democrats have a good chance of taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Presidential popularity and campaign fundraising are two key statistics that have predicted previous “wave election” years, during which the party in power loses control of Congress. In the past, any time a president has had an approval rating of less than 50%, the opposing party has taken over both the House and Senate. Trump’s current rating is 42%, and so it could be another wave election year. The amount of donations each party has received also often predicts a wave year, as funding can be fairly representative of how much support each party has, and therefore how the elections will swing. This year, the Democratic Party has received about $200 million more than the Republicans ($430 million compared to $230 million), a number that highly suggests the Democrats could dominate Congress after midterms, as usually the party with the most financial support wins significantly more elections. Despite the evidence that the Republican Party will lose seats, there are also indications that they will maintain control of Congress. The strong economy that has developed under the Trump Administration is likely to gain votes for Republican candidates. Because of a 3.7% unemployment rate and a US GDP growth of 4.2% this year, voters who elected Trump in hopes of a stronger economy will likely be happy with the current administration and continue to support Republicans. Historically, the biggest problem the reigning party has had during midterm elections is getting voters to actually turn up. People who oppose the dominant party are more likely to have complaints, and therefore will be more likely to want to vote. This year, however, that may not be a problem for the Republicans. Controversial events, such as the Kavanaugh hearing, have given Trump and his party something to rally behind, causing Republican citizens to be more passionate about voting. Regardless of how the midterms swing the House and Senate, there could be drastic consequences. Democrats fear that if Republicans maintain control of Congress, Trump will be able to institute all of his ideas without any resistance, giving him too much power. On the other hand, Republicans worry that if Democrats win over Congress, it could lead to an impeachment attempt, which could serve to divide the country even further. Because of these possible results, the midterms might be some of the most important elections in the nation’s history. |
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December 2018
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