Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in Utah gather at Infinity Event Center in downtown Salt Lake City to watch election results after polls close Tuesday
SALT LAKE CITY — The ballot initiative which will legalize medical marijuana looks poised to pass after Tuesday’s midterm election, but it’s already set to face changes under a compromise reached between supporters and opponents.
Are supporters worried about proposed adjustments to the law demanded by opponents? They say compromise isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it’s realizing your opponent has valid points.
“And they did have some valid points with certain sections of this Proposition 2 that probably could have been tightened up a bit,” says Utah Patient’s Coalition Director D.J. Schanz.
With Prop. 2 likely passing, Schanz says he knows legislators want to make tweaks and adjustments to the law which will legalize medical marijuana, but says proponents will remain vigilant and hold stakeholder’s feet to the fire.
“The players were reasonable and we felt the tweaks were reasonable. With that being said, we want to make sure that they’re implemented and that we do have a workable and viable medical cannabis program here in the very short future,” says Schanz.
But do the modifications take away the excitement after all the hard work?
“I think tonight sends a very clear message that the people of Utah stand with patients, they stand with no longer criminalizing these people that choose an alternative medical treatment than maybe what other Utahns do,” explains Schanz.
Schanz is anxious to see what happens next.
“Ultimately, I think it’s a very strong case for independent and free thought for Utah,” Schanz says.