One of five states hoping to legalize marijuana for adult use this November has just received what is possibly their biggest endorsement yet. With only weeks left until the election, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, the largest labor union in the state of Nevada, serving over 57,000 individuals, has announced their support of Question 2. This endorsement is a big deal – it shows that these thousands of workers throughout the state are in support of legalizing and regulating marijuana use for adults.
If passed this November, Question 2 would make it legal for adults 21 and older to use and possess marijuana, and it would create a retail industry similar to that in Colorado and would allow adults to cultivate up to six plants in their home. It is expected to create around 6,000 jobs and is projected to make around $400 million in sales in the first year alone – which would provide a source of funding that the state definitely needs.
“The people who care about good jobs, safer communities, and money for schools believe that voting Yes on Question 2 to regulate marijuana is the far more sensible choice,” Joe Brezny, a spokesperson for the Culinary Union, told the Las Vegas Sun in a statement.
Hopefully, having a solid endorsement from a group as large as the Culinary Workers Union will be what some of those undecided voters need to decide on a “yes” vote. Endorsements like this one are great, because it’s not politicians who are saying they agree – it’s a large body of working-class individuals, who have come together and said that they believe this initiative would be effective in its goal to end the prohibition of cannabis, while also creating jobs and bringing in new funding for the state.
“Their support demonstrates that the working people of Nevada want to take marijuana out of the criminal market and shift production and sales into regulated, tax paying businesses,” says Joe Brezny, spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the group behind Question 2.
The polls are on the edge right now for Nevada’s Question 2 – with the most recent showing that 47% are in favor and 46% are opposed, and one just prior claiming 53% in favor with 39% opposed. So until November, we really cannot be sure whether or not Question 2 is going to pass. However, we can hope that this endorsement, among others, will help voters make the decision to legalize marijuana.
